An Offer She Couldn't Refuse
by ACE732
Summary: She gave her a choice; her future or Logan. Which would she choose? Set season five. Picks up in 'But I'm A Gilmore'.
1. Chapter 1: An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

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A/N: I was watching the episode 'But I'm a Gilmore' the other day and this idea just came to me. I was going to hold it back but I wrote it and decided just to post it to see what you think. It takes place after Logan shows up at Rory's door and takes her to get something to eat. The only thing I'm changing about that episode is that Mitchum didn't offer her an internship. Shira shows up instead with a different kind of offer. So read on and tell me what you think. Good, bad, or indifferent. Thanks.

I don't own the show.

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter One: An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Rory smiled to herself as she and Logan walked along the hallway to her dorm room. The sound of Logan's voice was a pleasing hum in her ear as her mind focused on the feel of his hand holding hers. She gazed down at their entwined hands and felt her heart warm as he grazed her knuckles with his thumb caressingly. As soon as they had left the car, Logan had taken her hand and she was embarrassed to admit how much comfort and reassurance she felt just from one little gesture.

Logan had never done the 'boyfriend' thing before, but so far he was doing a pretty good job at making her feel like this could work despite what his parents thought of her.

Rory frowned as her thoughts turned to earlier that evening; dinner with the Huntzberger's. She was sure it would live on in folklore. It had been an evening she was nervously looking forward to; however, it had turned sour before she had even finished her starter. She kept replaying all of the horrible things Logan's family said about her. They had basically implied that she was trash and not good enough to be a part of their family. Actually, they had done more than imply, they had told her straight to her face. She had never felt more embarrassed or bewildered than she had at that point. She just wanted to run away and hide until the mean people stopped picking on her.

It was awful.

Shira, Logan's mother had gone on and on about how Rory wanted to work and how she didn't know what it took to be in their all powerful family. First of all, Rory had never so much as contemplated the possibility of marrying into the Huntzberger family. She was 20 years old and she and Logan had just started dating officially that very same day. Marriage and the future were a long way off.

Second of all, why was it such a bad thing that she had plans to work in her future? It was the twenty-first century. The world had moved on. She was fairly sure that if Hilary could raise a family, work and be married to Bill Clinton, then she could most certainly follow suit. She had always been brought up to work hard for what she wanted. There had never been a day in her life when she expected anything to be handed to her, nor would she ever want there to be.

She didn't want to be a trophy wife and apparently that is what the Huntzberger's wished for their son. A life of emptiness and misery with someone he didn't love or respect.

The more time she spent with Logan, she knew that that would never be enough for him. As much as he liked to live the no strings, no responsibilities lifestyle, he was smarter than almost everyone she knew and he needed someone who could match him on some kind of level. Not someone who would let him get away with things or someone who would bend to his every whim. In the short time that she had known him, she realised that he needed someone like her.

That thought made her smile.

"So, here we are, Ace." Logan stopped and stared down at Rory as they stood outside her dorm room. Rory, lost in a daze, gazed up at him dreamily and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hmm?"

"You're home, Rory." he told her sweetly. Rory looked at the door and then realisation kicked in.

"Oh, right." Logan smirked and raised her hand up to kiss it softly.

"This is where I say goodnight." he pulled her against him and kissed her thoroughly. Rory sighed into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When he broke away, she kept her eyes closed enjoying being so close to him.

"Why don't you come in? Spend the night?" she whispered huskily as she breathed in his scent. After the night they had had, she just wanted to curl up in his arms and sleep.

"And face the wrath of Paris? It's been a long night. You should get some sleep." he offered while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Rory leaned forward and kissed him chastely on the lips.

"I'd sleep better if you were there." she whispered. Logan smiled and kissed her forehead surprised by how her words affected him. He felt happy that she needed him. He had never been needed before. He had never felt such a strong urge to protect someone either. But with Rory, he just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and promise never to let anything hurt her ever again. It did occur to him that he might be the one who hurts her most.

Rory rest her head on his shoulder and he kissed her hair. He was finding it hard to break away from her. He didn't want to leave her.

Part of him wanted to just go home on his own and try and process everything that had happened tonight. He had officially been a boyfriend for less than twenty-four hours and it had been eventful to say the least. None of it had been Rory's fault, but he felt a little guilty himself for dragging her into the lions den without warning. He knew his family could be ruthless, but how they had treated Rory…he would never forgive them.

The other part, the part which seemed to have more sway with his body wanted to stay with her and spend the night showing her how much his family's opinions didn't bother him. He wanted to posses her body and soul in a way he had never experienced before. But he felt nervous. For the first time in a long time, Logan felt unsure about having sex with someone. It had always been about scratching an itch, enjoying himself, but things between him and Rory were different now. It would be much more intimate, much more meaningful and that scared him a little bit.

But who was he if not someone who faced their fears head on and took risks. He wanted to be with her more than anything. It surprised him how much the thought of being in her arms comforted him. Like she was the only person who could take away all of the hurt and frustration. She made him feel so calm and relaxed, it had only been a day but he was beginning to need her.

"Lead the way, Ace." he smiled down at her big blue eyes as she gazed up at him. She took his hand in hers and pulled out her key from her purse to let them inside. He followed silently as she guided him through the common room and into the sanctuary of her bedroom.

Logan sat down on the bed as Rory moved about the room, getting herself ready for bed. He watched her closely as she slid out of her dress and stood in just her underwear while removing her jewellery. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He felt the blood pool in his groin as his eyes skimmed over the soft, supple curves of her body and her pale, creamy skin. She must have noticed him staring at her as she gazed back at him meeting his eyes. He smiled and held out a hand for her to take. She did. Logan pulled her to him and she climbed onto his lap straddling him. He closed his eyes and hugged her warm body to him burying his face in the crook of her neck. He let out a deep sigh and held on to her firmly. He just wanted to hold her. He just wanted to lose himself in her and shut out the rest of the world.

"Logan?" she asked, her voice muffled as she kissed his hair and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for a few minutes until he felt her shiver under the cold. He rubbed his hands caressingly over her bare back and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his hair. Both were enjoying the closeness, a new bond was forming between them. A bond which would be hard to break for anyone.

"Rory…I'm sorry about tonight. I…" he spoke in a low voice. Rory surprised him by placing her finger over his mouth, silencing him.

"Ssh. No more words. Lets just sleep." she told him soothingly. She slid off his lap and pulled him up off the bed. She slowly began undoing the buttons on his black shirt before sliding his jacket off over his shoulders. Logan kept his eyes on her as she tugged the ends of his shirt out of his pants and then made quick work ridding him of his belt. He shivered as she ran her fingers gently over his toned abs before finding his zipper and helping him out of his pants and shoes. It took all of his strength not to pull her onto the bed and have his way with her. Maybe before he would have, but not now. Now, he just wanted to revel in the feelings she was provoking in him.

Rory took his hand and led him to the side of the bed. She pulled the covers over and climbed in. Logan followed her and they just lay there staring at each other. Unable to control himself any longer, he moved closer to her and cupped her face, brushing her lips with a tender, yet passionate kiss. Rory melted into it, loving the feeling of his lips on hers. She edged closer until he pulled her flush against his hard chest. He wrapped her up in his arms, their legs tangling as their kisses grew more heated. Logan's hands roamed over her soft flesh. His fingers searching and enjoying the feel of her body completely at his mercy. She moaned as he squeezed her butt and wrapped her leg around his waist allowing her to feel him pressing hard against her. She broke the kiss and smiled seductively back at him. Pulling away slightly she rolled them over so she was on top of him. She bent down to capture his lips in a frenzied kiss. There was so much desire brewing between them, so much need. He needed her just as much as she needed him.

RLRLRLRLRL

Rory sat at her desk in the newsroom listening to Paris as she explained her new found intimacy with Doyle. She told her how he had had his heart broken and that was why he was reluctant to make a commitment. Rory was trying to concentrate on finishing her article when a flash of blonde hair caught her eye. She glanced up to see Shira Huntzberger standing at the door. She scanned the room looking for her son, Rory assumed. When her eyes fell on Rory, she smiled and made her way to her desk.

"Hello Rory, it's nice to see you." she greeted her warmly. Rory frowned feeling slightly confused. This was the same woman who had basically called her scum the night before and she was standing smiling at her as if they were friends reunited.

"Um…hi." she said quietly. Her voice coming out sounding a little rough. Shira glanced at Paris who looked at Rory questioningly. "Are you looking for Logan?"

Shira laughed. "Oh no. Don't be silly. I was actually looking for you. I was hoping maybe we could do lunch. Are you hungry?"

Rory remained puzzled by Shira's appearance. She was here to see her. Fear flooded her as she mentioned them having lunch together. Maybe she wanted to poison her, get her out of the picture once and for all.

"Um…"

"Please. At least let me make it up to you. Last night did not go the way I wanted." she admitted solemnly.

Rory's eyes widened. She studied the older woman curiously trying to figure her out. Before she could process her request, she found herself saying yes.

"Wonderful." Shira said, her eyes lighting up. "How about De Luca's in one hour?"

"Great." Rory smiled forcefully. What had she gotten herself into? She had agreed to have lunch with a woman who despised her. Her thoughts turned to Logan. Maybe he had gone over and demanded that Shira apologise to her. Maybe that was why she had shown up.

Rory sighed. If she was going to make this thing work with Logan she was going to have to make an effort with his family. Starting with his mother.

RLRLRLRL

"So, where did you get to last night? I called you a dozen times." Colin asked as he perched himself on the stool beside his blonde friend. Logan took a swig of scotch and turned to face him.

"Dinner with the family." he informed him. Colin frowned. He was surprised that Logan would willingly attend dinner with his family unless held at gunpoint.

"Who died?" he queried. Logan shook his head.

"My soul." he joked, though his tone was tinged with bitterness. Colin continued staring at him. "No one died. Honor made me go. She's getting married and she wanted me there for moral support."

"Honor's getting married? To Josh?" he asked disbelievingly.

"They have been together for three years."

"Yeah, but…" Colin stared off into the distance.

"But what?"

"There goes my shot with her." Logan snorted and gestured to the bartender for another drink.

"Yeah, you wish." he told him just as Finn arrived.

"Hello lads. How are we this fine evening?"

"Great. Logan was just regaling me with tales of his latest sojourn into the depths of hell." Finn widened his eyes and turned to Logan.

"You don't have a scar on you." he studied his appearance.

"All my scars are emotional." he accepted the refill and took another swig while Finn and Colin looked at each other and then back at him.

"What did Mitchum do this time?" Finn asked plainly. Logan smirked. No one knew him better than his two best friends. They had learned that whenever something was bothering him, it was usually Mitchum's doing. Surprisingly, this time it wasn't. Although, he was sure he had some part in it.

"It wasn't Mitchum. It was my mom and my grandpa."

"Well…?"

"I took Rory to dinner."

"Gilmore? Why would you take her? The last I checked you two were just bed buddies. I didn't think your conquests got the grand tour of Huntzberger towers." Colin asked a little bit confused.

"Well, she's not just a bed buddy anymore. She's…" he downed his scotch and took a deep breath before he told his best friends that he had given up his philandering ways for the love of a good woman. "…my girlfriend."

Colin's eyes went wide and Finn choked on his beer. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Rory is my girlfriend. We're together. Exclusively." he explained to their blank faces.

"Did you lose a bet?" Finn quizzed him, staring at him as if he was nuts. Logan shook his head and Finn looked back at Colin.

"Does she have some incriminating pictures of you? Did you bump your head and forget who you are?" Colin asked just as equally confused as Finn.

"No." Logan rolled his eyes.

"How? What? When? Why?" Colin couldn't get his mind around this turn of events and judging by the look on Finn's face, he was right there with him.

"It happened the other day. She showed up at my dorm room saying that she couldn't do the 'no strings' thing anymore and that we should just go back to being friends. But…I didn't want that. I didn't like the idea of not seeing her. So, I said I'd be her boyfriend." Logan finished as Colin and Finn gaped at him.

Colin shook his head. "Let me get this straight. You actually entered into this crazy arrangement out of your own free will? She didn't hold a gun to your head or threaten to chop off Logan junior?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Nope. No weapons of any kind were used in the decision making process."

"Well, then she played you."

"What?"

"She totally manipulated you."

"What are you talking about?" It was Logan and Finn's turn to look at Colin with perplexed expressions on their faces.

"She was the one who started this thing between you two, right?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah and she probably knew deep down that she could never follow it through. So, she just waited until you were more invested and then BAM! She used the 'let's just be friends' card. And you fell for it."

Logan rolled his eyes at his paranoid friend and sighed into his drink.

"Colin does make sense, mate. Although, Gilmore doesn't seem the type…"

"They never do. Until they get you in their grasp…" Logan scanned his friend's dark features and narrowed his eyes at him. It was possible that Colin was channelling his father's paranoia in regards to women. The man had been married five times and Colin had resolved to never follow in his footsteps. He was going to remain a bachelor for life. Logan had thought that would be his life too, but he had never expected someone like Rory to show up and throw him through a loop. Someone so sweet and sincere. He didn't think anyone existed quite like her anymore; he had become so jaded by the falseness of the world he belonged to.

Rory had been like a shining beacon of hope for him. She had gotten under his skin and become…important to him. Despite what Colin said, she hadn't manipulated him into doing anything. She may have been the one to initiate this thing between them, but he had been having similar kinds of thoughts for a while before. His reluctance to do anything about it was mainly due to the fact that he had grown to care about her and didn't want to hurt her. Another reason for him not getting involved with her was because she scared him, or more specifically, his feelings for her scared him. He knew that if he were to date her, it would be more than that. He had said so at the time. And he had been proved right. Not only had she struggled with their casual arrangement, but he had too. Seeing her with Robert had made that glaringly obvious to him. So here he was; someone's boyfriend. Not just someone; Rory Gilmore, and he felt happy. She made him happy and he wasn't willing to give that up for anyone. Not his friends, not his family, not even for himself. He liked being a boyfriend. It was growing on him.

RLRLRLRL

Rory stood outside the café trying to work up enough courage to go inside and face Shira Huntzberger. She had a feeling of dread and felt physically sick at the thought of being in her company for any prolonged amount of time but she would do it for Logan. She didn't want to cause him any more stress than he already had.

So, she took a deep breath and opened the door entering the café. She stood for a few seconds scanning the room, looking for Shira.

"Over here, Rory." Shira waved to her and Rory slowly made her way to the table the blonde woman was frequenting. "Please, have a seat."

Rory nervously sat down and glanced around the café. The place wasn't too busy but if she were to suddenly keel over from being poisoned there were a good amount of people there who could help her. There were plenty of potential witnesses if Shira were to try anything.

"I love that blouse, Rory. It's a wonderful shade on you." Shira commented pleasantly as she sipped on her coffee. Rory forced a smile and then found her throat dry and in desperate need of some caffeine refreshment of her own. She gestured to the waitress who took her order and then she began fiddling with her napkin.

"So, does Logan know that you are here?" Shira enquired. Rory gazed up at her as the waitress brought over her coffee.

"Um, no. I haven't seen him today." she managed before taking a long sip of her coffee.

"Well, that's probably for the best. I think we should keep this little meeting between ourselves. We wouldn't want to upset Logan again now would we?"

"Um…"

"I asked you here today because I wanted to apologise for how things happened the other night. I never meant for it to get so…out of control. I truly apologise." Shira said sincerely. Rory shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She smiled at Shira and then took another sip of her coffee.

"Thank you." she didn't know what else to say.

"You must think that we are horrible people. We invite you into our home and then attack you." Shira shook her head and Rory studied her closely. She didn't know what to make of the current situation. She was more than weary of Shira but she was being so apologetic. She seemed sincere, but she still felt uneasy.

"I asked you here today, Rory, because I wanted to give you this." Shira pulled out a white envelope and slid it across the table. Rory looked down at it and then furrowing her brows, she looked back at Shira.

"What is it?" she wondered. Shira smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

"Open it and find out." she told her. Rory's gaze stayed on her for a few more seconds, unsure as to what was going on. She eventually picked up the envelope and opened it. There was a piece of paper inside. As she slid it out of the envelope, her eyes widened as she read what it said. It was a cheque for twenty-five thousand dollars. Rory held it up trying to take it in, thinking her eyes were deceiving her.

"What? What is this?"

"I think you know exactly what this is, Rory. You're a smart girl." Shira said an even tone. Rory looked at her in disbelief.

"It's yours. On one condition." Shira explained. Rory felt the sick feeling in her stomach creep over her again. "You break up with Logan."

Rory sat on her chair holding the cheque feeling completely speechless. She had no idea what to say. She couldn't believe what was going on. Here she thought Shira was trying to apologise for her behaviour when in fact she wanted to buy her off.

"You want to pay me not to see Logan anymore?" she asked incredulously. The woman was clearly insane.

"25000 is a lot of money. Think of what you could do with it. You could put it towards your tuition, buy a new car, an apartment for next year." she listed trying to convince her to accept the money. Rory remained completely dumbfounded.

"No thank you." she said pushing the cheque back across the table. She felt sick looking at the thing. She couldn't believe that Shira could even contemplate asking her such a thing. She felt sorry for Logan for having a mother like that.

Shira narrowed her eyes at Rory and folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, how about thirty thousand dollars?"

Rory frowned and pushed her coffee away. Suddenly it tasted bitter in her mouth. "I don't want your money, Mrs Huntzberger."

"Well, what do you want? Everyone wants something." she said icily.

"Not everyone can be bought." was Rory's retort.

"You would be surprised." Shira smiled. "I may be sorry for how things occurred at dinner the other night, but everything that was said was true. You are not good enough for this family."

Rory felt a pang, although she did her best to hide it. "I don't want to be a part of your family. Logan and I have been dating officially for a total of two days. The concept of marriage or anything else hasn't even entered my head." Rory informed her, trying not to let her anger get the better of her. Shira just looked at her.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care what you believe." she told her firmly.

"Logan is my son. He is meant for great things and he needs someone at his side who can support him. Not someone who is going to be on the other side of the world chasing a story." Shira said in a quiet voice so no one could hear her.

"Why don't you let Logan decide what he wants? It is his life after all." she breathed out a frustrated sigh.

"Logan doesn't know what he wants." Shira said flippantly. Rory fixed her with a stern look.

"Then you don't know him very well." she remarked and received an icy stare from Shira, obviously she had hit a nerve.

"I know my son, Miss Gilmore. I know what is best for him. And that does not include you." she said harshly, her eyes darkening. Rory felt a little intimidated but she wasn't going to let this woman get the best of her.

"How do you think Logan would feel knowing his own mother was trying to pay his girlfriend to break up with him?" Rory questioned. Shira smirked.

"He would get over it. You overestimate my son if you think he could last being in a relationship for very long. I know his reputation. I know that you couldn't keep him satisfied for very long. He'll get bored soon enough. I'm just trying to save you from the heart ache."

"Oh please!" Rory couldn't believe this woman. Did she really think she was that stupid?

"Take the money, Rory. Do yourself a favour." Shira pushed the cheque back to her. Rory looked down at it and then at her. She picked up the piece of paper and tore it in half.

"I don't want your money. All I want is for you to leave Logan and I alone." she grabbed her purse and moved to stand up until Shira grabbed her arm.

"Okay, so you don't want the money. Maybe there is something else I can give you." Rory shook her head at the woman in front of her. She was trying to trade off her son's affections.

"I don't want anything from you."

"Oh, I know what you want." Shira said sitting back on her chair with a smug grin on her face. Rory sat back down as others glanced over at her. "You have very lofty ambitions in the journalism field."

Rory sighed and crossed her arms. "Yes."

"What a coincidence that you want to be a journalist and you find yourself dating my son." Shira continued grinning making Rory feel uncomfortable under her gaze.

"I'm not using Logan if that's what you mean?" Shira inclined her head to the side.

"No?" Rory felt her anger bubbling under the surface.

"No! There are some people in the world who don't use manipulation tactics to get what they want. I have never once considered Logan to be a stepping stone. I care about him."

"I'm sure you think you do." Shira nodded condescendingly making Rory's blood boil.

"I don't think I do. I do. He means a lot to me." she informed her seriously. Shira smiled again.

"How much?"

"How much what?" Rory asked unsure where she going with this.

"How much does he mean to you? Would you be willing to give up your dreams for him?" Rory froze on the chair as the sick feeling from before returned.

"What do you mean?"

Shira smiled smugly at her and brushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "My husband is a very powerful man. His influence is far reaching. With one snap of his fingers he could make it very easy for you to achieve your ambitions. As his wife, I could put in a good word for you." Shira explained. Rory shook her head.

"I'd rather make it on my own, thanks. Anything I achieve, I want to earn it. I don't need your help." she told her firmly.

"An admirable trait." Shira nodded. "But as I said; my husband is very influential. As easy as he could make it, he could make it very difficult for you. So, I ask again. Would you really be willing to give up on everything that you dreamed for yourself to be with my son?"

Rory thought about what she was asking. She couldn't believe that she was actually saying it. She was threatening to take away everything that she had worked so hard for. All of her dreams, all of her aspirations to be the next Christiane Amanpour could be snuffed out just like that because Shira Huntzberger didn't want her dating her son. The woman was willing to ruin her life to ensure she got what she wanted.

"Think about it. It's a big decision. Take some time. You know where to find me." She said as she gathered her belongings and stood up. She looked down at Rory who was still staring off into space. She smiled to herself knowing that she would win this one. Shira Huntzberger always got what she wanted and where her family was concerned; she would do whatever it took to ensure their future survival.


	2. Chapter 2: The Choices We Make

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A/N: I've been seriously lacking in motivation to write anything lately for some unknown reason, but I managed to get this chapter done. I hope you like it. I will try to get my other stories updated ASAP, but these things take time. You know how it is, life and all that jazz.

I don't own a thing.

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter Two: The Choices We Make

Lorelai sat on the sofa enjoying spending some quality time with her daughter. Or, she would have been enjoying it if Rory wasn't so quiet. She studied her curiously as Rory stared blankly at the TV. She had barely spoken a word all evening. Lorelai knew there was something bothering her but she didn't want to pry.

Oh, who was she kidding? She totally wanted to pry but she found herself worried that if she said the wrong thing or pushed too hard that Rory would shut down and pull away from her. She hardly saw enough of her as it was. She didn't want to lose her altogether.

Rory let out a heavy sigh as the movie came to an end. She uncrossed her arms as she realised that she had no idea what the movie was about. She had been watching it but she hadn't paid attention at all. There was too much on her mind to truly enjoy movie night with her mother.

"Coffee?" Lorelai asked as she pulled herself up off the sofa. Rory nodded but remained silent. She had been toying with the idea of talking to her mother about her current predicament. Usually whenever she had a problem it would be like second nature to go to her mother. But now, she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure how okay her mother really was with the idea of her dating Logan. She hadn't exactly been ecstatic when she broke the news. But with everything that happened at dinner and then with Shira's offer/threat, she needed someone on her side. She needed someone to tell her what to do about it. She needed her mother.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly slid off the sofa and meandered through to the kitchen where her mother was waiting impatiently for the coffee to brew. She looked up as Rory entered and smiled.

"How about some Sophia dying to liven things up?" she asked brightly, referring to her obsession with The Godfather series. Rory shrugged and then sat down at the kitchen table clasping her hands together as she contemplated what she was going to tell her.

"Mom, can I talk to you about something?" she said evenly keeping her gaze on the table. Lorelai frowned and then moved to the seat across from her.

"Sure. What's up?" she asked tentatively. Her whole body filled with dread at what her daughter was about to say. Lorelai's eyes widened in horror and she reached for her hand as the panic set in. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Rory rolled her eyes and smiled.

"No. I'm not pregnant. But it's nice to know how calm you would be if I were." she said mockingly as Lorelai's heart rate returned to as close to normal as possible.

"So, what is it?" she placed her hand over her heart as her body relaxed under Rory's reassurance.

"Shira Huntzberger came to see me today." She began with nervousness in her voice.

"Logan's mom?" Lorelai enquired. Rory nodded. "What did the Wicked Witch of the East want this time? To steal your ruby slippers."

"Actually, she apologised for what happened at dinner," Lorelai scoffed at that. "Then she offered me twenty-five thousand dollars to break up with her son."

Lorelai's eyes went wide as she processed the information. "What?"

"Yep." She said simply as if the situation was completely normal. Lorelai remained quiet.

"She offered you money to break up with her son?" She asked disbelievingly. Rory nodded and then sunk back against her chair.

"Well, what did you say?"

"I told her no. I told her that I didn't want her money and that I couldn't be bought."

"Good for you." Lorelai agreed.

"But…"

"But what?" She asked noticing the hesitancy in Rory's tone.

"She asked me how much Logan meant to me and whether I'd be willing to give up my dreams to be with him." Rory lowered her gaze to the tablecloth.

"Meaning what exactly?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her. She didn't like where this was going.

"Well, her husband is a very powerful man. She basically told me that if I don't break up with Logan she would make it impossible for me to become a journalist." Rory admitted. Lorelai felt her blood boil and sprang up from her seat with fire in her eyes.

"That's it!" She declared as she stormed through to the living room to find her shoes. "That woman! That family! Those people! Who does she think she is? Threatening you like that. Does she think she can threaten my daughter? No sir-ee.!"

Rory followed her around the living room as she searched for her car keys. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm going over there. I'm going to give that woman a piece of my mind and then I'm going to kill her. I'll strangle her with her pearls." Lorelai said with a maniacal smile on her face as she envisioned the scene.

"Mom! You're not going to kill her."

"No, you're right. I'll get Emily to do it. She'll be much better than me. There is one thing I'll say for my mother and that is-"

"Mom! Stop!" Lorelai stared back at her daughter and noticed how upset she really was. Her maternal instincts took over and she pulled her in for a hug. Rory relaxed into her mother's arms as the tears began flowing.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry. Its okay." she said soothingly as she held her tighter. Rory continued sobbing into her chest. Lorelai frowned. She hated seeing her so upset. She wished she could snap her fingers and take away the pain.

Slowly, she pulled away and fixed her with a warm smile. She wiped away her tears and slung her arm over her shoulders guiding her over to the sofa.

"What did Logan say when you told him?" she whispered as she kissed her hair. Rory looked up at her as another tear escaped.

"I haven't told him." She said in a tiny voice. Lorelai squeezed her shoulder and then pulled her closer so her head was leaning on her shoulder.

"Don't you think you should?" She reasoned.

"I don't want to. How would you feel if your parents tried to pay off your boyfriend?" Lorelai laughed.

"They did once. His name was Jose. He was the gardener's son. I was seven years old. Emily offered him a lollipop and I never saw him again." Lorelai stared off into the distance remembering her long forgotten first love.

"Mom."

"Sorry." She snapped out of her thoughts and returned her attention to Rory.

"I don't want him to know how awful his mother really is. That she would be willing to stoop so low." Lorelai could see her point. Emily had always tried to butt into her relationships and even succeeded in ruining things with her and Luke for a while. However, she was sure that even Emily wouldn't try to ruin Luke's business just to keep him away from her. Well, almost sure.

Lorelai's thoughts soon turned to her daughter's relationship with Logan. She wouldn't go so far as to say she didn't approve of him being in her life, but she was weary. She didn't trust him. After finding out about their original casual agreement, she wasn't entirely certain whether he could stick to their newly redefined committed relationship. She didn't want to see Rory throw away everything she had worked so hard for, for a guy who wasn't the most stable or dependable. What if he changed his mind a few weeks down the line and decided that being a boyfriend really wasn't for him after all? Where would that leave Rory then?

"Honey, how do feel about Logan?" she asked tentatively. Rory looked up; her eyes were puffy from crying.

"What do you mean?" She asked her quizzically.

"Well, do you love him?" she wondered, getting to the point straightaway. Rory sat up slightly surprised by her line of questioning.

"What?"

"Do you love him?" She repeated the question fixing her eyes on her, studying her closely. Rory brushed a strand of hair from her face as she contemplated Lorelai's blunt question.

"We've only been dating officially for a couple of days, mom." She shifted uncomfortably.

"I know. But you've known him for longer than that. And I'm pretty sure you had a little thing for him long before you realised it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember when we had drinks with Grandpa and he brought up Logan. You went all quiet and stiff. You didn't want to talk about him. You said he was just a friend." she explained her theory.

"So?"

"So, that's classic for 'I like him but I'm still in denial about it'." Rory shook her head at her mother.

"Would you be willing to give up everything you've worked so hard for to be with him?" She asked the apparent twenty-five thousand dollar question. Rory let out a sigh as she knew the answer straight away.

"No."

Lorelai closed her eyes in relief at her daughters answer. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded. "Well, then there are three ways in which you can deal with this. You either let mommy go over there and turn her into worm food or you tell Logan."

"What's the third option?" Rory wondered. The first two were not very appealing.

"The third option is; you break up with Logan and give the woman what she wants. Think about it, Rory. Do you really need the hassle? Is it really worth it? Is he?"

Rory lay back against the couch and closed her eyes. She had a lot of thinking to do.

Lorelai watched her intently. She hoped she would make the correct decision. She truly hoped she would use her brain and do the right thing.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory stood in the hallway just outside Logan's dorm room trying to work up enough courage to knock on his door. She was going to tell him about his mother's offer. She had decided that he should know what kind of a manipulative, vindictive person his mother really was. However, she was finding it difficult to take the first step. She was dreading the conversation she was about to have. Not because she didn't want to tell him, she was dreading the look on his face when she told him. Finding out that his mother basically tried to buy off his girlfriend wouldn't exactly make him feel wonderful. But she had to tell him.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened and Logan acknowledged her with a nod as he continued talking to someone on the phone. Rory slid inside and sat on the sofa waiting for him to finish his phone call.

"No Dad. I didn't. No. Yes, I fully intended to…Why can't…But…Fine. Fine!" He ended the phone call and flopped down on the sofa beside Rory. He let out a frustrated sigh and leaned his head against the back of the couch closing his eyes. Rory looked back at him and frowned. She laced her fingers through his trying to provide him with some comfort.

"Everything okay?" she asked dumbly. Obviously everything wasn't okay, but she didn't know what to say. Logan opened his eyes and stared back at her. He sighed again and then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Everything's fine. It's just…that dinner with my parents? Tip of the iceberg." He said as he pulled away. "I am in serious need of some alcohol."

Logan moved off the couch and crossed the room to pour himself a stiff drink. "You want…?"

He held a glass up towards her. Rory shifted awkwardly on the couch; considering what she was about to tell him, she felt like she could use some liquid courage.

"Yeah. Thanks." She nodded. Logan eyed her curiously and then went about pouring them both their drinks. He returned to the couch and handed her a glass of Scotch. Rory accepted it and before he was even sitting down she guzzled the whole thing in one go. Logan stared at her in awe. Rory wiped her mouth and scrunched up her face as the aftertaste kicked in.

Logan laughed and took the glass from her hand before fixing her with a puzzled stare. "Bad day?" he raised an eyebrow at her as he sipped on his own scotch. Rory shrugged and then lay back on the couch. Logan laid his hand on her thigh and began tracing soothing circles over her covered legs.

"You could say that." She sighed and then laced her fingers through his once more.

"Well, tell me all about it." He stroked his hand over the side of her face and raised her hand to place a soft kiss on her knuckles. Rory closed her eyes trying to summon the will to tell him the truth. She opened her eyes and then opened her mouth but nothing came out. No sound. She looked back at Logan who was studying her closely and felt her heart sink at what she was about to say.

"I…" The sound of his cell phone ringing cut her off. She wasn't sure whether she was more relieved or annoyed at the interruption. Logan sighed in frustration as he instantly recognised the ringtone. It was his father again.

"Hold that thought." He said holding up a finger as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone. He flipped it open and immediately went on the defensive as his father yelled down the line. Rory cringed as she heard the elder Huntzberger scold his child. She watched Logan closely as he became ever more aggravated and annoyed. His whole body tensed up and there was a cold, harsh tone to his voice that he had never used around her before.

She felt sorry for him that he had such a strained relationship with his father. She felt sorry that he had a mother who went behind his back and threatened his girlfriend's career. But most of all she felt sorry that she wasn't strong enough to stand up for their relationship.

Rory was pretty confident that her feelings for Logan would only grow stronger over time. In fact, she was certain that she was already falling for him, but could she really give up everything for someone who she had practically forced into becoming her boyfriend? How could she be sure that he felt the same way for her as she did for him? How could she be sure that a few weeks down the line he wouldn't get cold feet and decide that relationships really weren't for him?

Then where would she be? No boyfriend. No future.

Sinking into the back of the couch, Rory closed her eyes and rubbed her temple as her brain went over every possible outcome. She had gone through so much emotional turmoil just to get to the point where she could proudly say that Logan was her boyfriend. But if it came with such a hefty price tag was it really worth it?

She couldn't tell him the truth. She didn't have the heart to hurt him like that. However, she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to give him up.

RLRLRLRL

Rory lay in bed listening to Logan's breathing. She lay on her side, resting her head in her hand, watching through the thick veil of darkness as his chest rose and fell steadily. There was a thin sliver of light poking through the space in the blinds of his window and she could make out his features as he slept so peacefully. She found herself smiling as he looked so innocent, so vulnerable. Gone were the lazy smile and the cocky façade.

"You know it's rude to stare." He croaked startling her as he slowly opened his eyes and turned over onto his side to face her.

"I thought you were asleep." She told him feeling slightly embarrassed that he had caught her staring at him.

"I was, but then I had this feeling that some crazy girl was watching me sleep. Do you know how disconcerting that is?" he joked. Rory sighed and moved her head from her hand and onto her pillow.

"Sorry."

"So," he began as he slung his arm over her waist and pulled her body towards him, "see anything you like?"

Rory smiled at his flirtatious tone and leaned in for a kiss. Logan captured her lips in a fierce embrace and quickly rolled her onto her back so he was hovering above her.

He broke the kiss and then gazed down at her with a sweet smile on his face. "I like having you here."

"I like being here." Rory reached up wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him down for another kiss, but he broke away and stared intently back at her.

"No. I mean it. I like having you here. I like this. Being a boyfriend. I didn't think I would, but…it's growing on me." he admitted. Rory was speechless. She didn't know what to say. She could feel her heart sink as his brown eyes stared down at her. She would have killed to hear those words coming from his lips before, but hearing them now just made what she had to do harder.

Swallowing the lump which had formed in her throat and fighting back the tears threatening to escape, Rory stroked her hand over his face lovingly. She was going to break up with him. She had to. But she needed one last night with him. One last chance to savour the feeling of being in his arms, of having him kiss and touch her like only he could.

Even though it would only make things harder when it came to breaking up, she wanted to lose herself in Logan Huntzberger one last time.

"I know what you mean." she whispered and then he was on her. His lips were attached to hers while his hands roamed over the soft curves of her body. He growled as she nibbled on his bottom lip before devouring her with kisses.

When he brought her to the edge, she didn't want to let go. She wanted to stay tangled with him for as long as she possibly could. She wanted to freeze the moment and make it last forever.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

"Do you remember that time Finn got arrested for indecent exposure? Your neighbours were holding a tea party in the back yard and we dared Finn to run through the garden naked and jump into the pool." Colin said fondly. Logan laughed as the image of Finn streaking in front of thirty DAR members came back to him.

"Then when the cops showed up he tried to persuade them that he was the new pool boy and was just trying out a new technique."

"I think one of the women had a heart attack." Logan offered as he sipped on his scotch. He turned slightly to see Rory sitting beside him staring blankly into her glass. He frowned.

"Wouldn't you if you came face to face with Finn's…package?" Colin cringed at the thought.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with my package, I'll have you know. I've never received any complaints." Finn said as he approached the table holding a tray with everyone's fresh drinks.

Logan returned his gaze back to Rory and nudged her gently trying to get her attention. "Hey, you ok?"

Rory raised her eyes up to his and gave him a forced smile. She had been in her own little world all evening. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired."

"We can go home if you want." He offered as he placed his hand on her thigh. Rory looked down at his hand on her leg and moved away.

"It's okay. I'm just going to go to the bathroom. Freshen up." she gave him a peck on the cheek and then slid out of the booth. Logan watched after her as she made her way to the restroom. When he turned back he noticed that Colin and Finn were both staring at him.

"Trouble in paradise so soon?" Colin asked as he downed the rest of his drink before moving onto the next round.

"Not that I'm aware of." Logan shrugged and lowered his eyes to his drink. He hoped he hadn't done something to piss her off. He was new at the boyfriend thing but he was pretty sure that things had been going smoothly so far.

"She's not her usual chatty self. Maybe she's coming down with something." Finn offered genuinely. Despite Colin's paranoia regarding Rory's interest in Logan, Finn had become rather fond of the brunette and could see how happy she made his best friend.

"Maybe."

Rory returned to the booth a few minutes later and sat back down beside Logan. He couldn't help but notice the space she left between them as she finished her drink. Logan kept his eyes on her as Finn and Colin got into a bickering session.

"You sure you're okay?" Rory nodded but said nothing. Logan was beginning to get worried. He had never seen her so quiet. In fact, come to think of it, she hadn't been her usual self since the day before. Something was obviously on her mind and he wanted to know what it was. Maybe he could help her.

"Come on." He grabbed his jacket and began sliding out of the booth pushing her out in front of him.

"Logan." She protested meekly.

"Let's get out of here." He grabbed her hand and waved to Colin and Finn who watched as he dragged her out of the pub.

"Logan." They made their way outside into the cold night air and he stopped in front of her dropping her hand and turning to look at her.

"What's going on, Rory? You've been quiet all night." He fixed her with his brown eyes and she looked away quickly. The weight of his eyes on her was too much to take.

"It's nothing." She tried to brush it off, but he wasn't buying it. He reached for her hand and pulled her towards him.

"It's not 'nothing'. Is it your mom? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"No." She shook her head in reply as she felt tears prickle in her eyes.

"Then what?" he was starting to get a little frustrated now, "Is it me? Did I do something? If I did, then I'm sorry. Just tell me and I'll…"

"I can't do this anymore." She quickly blurted out. Logan narrowed his eyes at her as he studied her face.

"Can't do what?" He asked tentatively. Rory lowered her gaze to her feet and then summoning all the strength she could muster, she did the thing she had been dreading doing all day. She ended her three day relationship with Logan Huntzberger.

"I thought this was what I wanted, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" Logan gaped at her. His mind not fully comprehending what she was trying to tell him. "You…you're breaking up with me?!"

Rory was fighting a losing battle as a lone tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She felt a huge lump form in her throat and a nauseous feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as the sadness consumed her. She couldn't speak. She nodded her head in reply to his question.

"I made a mistake." She managed to get out as she fought for control. Logan's eyes lit up with anger as her words ran through his brain.

"A mistake? You were the one who said you couldn't do 'no strings'. You were the one who said you were a boyfriend kind of girl. You wanted this just as much as I did. Now, you're saying you made a mistake?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm sorry." Rory felt more tears escape as she stood before him. Logan scratched his head as his eyes scanned their surroundings. "I thought it was what I wanted but…"

"But its not?" he finished, "You don't want to be with me?"

Rory was sure her heart was breaking as she stared into those sad brown eyes of his. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him. She was breaking up with him because she was trying to save him from finding out the truth about his mother. She hadn't considered the fact that her breaking up with him would cause him pain also.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and lied to him. "No."

When she opened her eyes, he wasn't standing in front of her anymore. She turned to see him storming back inside the pub leaving her outside and alone.

The tears fell more freely as she watched him disappear from her life. "I'm sorry."

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She hadn't gotten out of bed all day. It was now late afternoon and she had missed all of her classes. It didn't matter though. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate anyway. She was too depressed. She had broken up with Logan and now she just wanted to stay in bed and hide away from the rest of the world.

However, with a room mate like Paris Geller, that was nigh on impossible. She had been banging on her door every ten minutes telling her to stop being so pathetic and get over it.

So, when the door to her bedroom opened, Rory let out a groan as she awaited the impending pep talk.

"Paris. Go away. Let me wallow." She pleaded as she covered her face with a pillow. Paris stood at the door and rolled her eyes at the pathetic mess that was her best friend.

"Mitchum Huntzberger is here." She said simply. Rory threw off the pillow and shot straight up.

"What?" She asked wide eyed and full of surprise.

"America's most powerful man is standing in our common room asking to talk to you. Do you want to stay in here and mope or…"

Rory was up before Paris had the chance to finish her sentence.

"What is he doing here?"

"I don't know." Paris shrugged. "Why don't you go find out?"

Rory took a deep breath as she slowly made her way to her bedroom door.

"I'd change your clothes before I went out there, if I were you. Do you really want to meet Mitchum Huntzberger while wearing your Snoopy pyjamas?"

Rory stopped and looked down to see the cartoon characters staring back at her. "Crap!"

Paris shook her head and grabbed a sweater and pair of pants from her closet and handed them over to her.

"Oh and brush your hair and maybe do something about the Panda eyes." She suggested. Rory ducked down to look in the mirror only to see how much of a mess she really was. She had spent most of last night crying and now her face was blotchy and puffy and her waterproof mascara definitely wasn't waterproof going by the black marks running down her cheeks.

"Crap!" She heard Paris leave the room and speak to Logan's father while she wiped her face clean and quickly pulled on the clothes she had been wearing the night before. The night she broke up with…

__

Pull yourself together, Gilmore.

Wiping a hand at her cheek, she tied back her hair and then made her way through to the common room looking much more presentable. She didn't know why she was getting so antsy about the fact Mitchum Huntzberger was in her dorm room. He was probably just here to thank her for not ruining his son's life. He probably just wanted to rub it in a little bit more. Twist the knife a little.

"Um, hello." She greeted him politely unable to hide the nerves she was feeling. Mitchum turned to face her and offered her a familiar smile. It was Logan's smile. She felt her stomach lurch.

"Rory," he offered her his hand to shake and she accepted. "I hope you don't mind me showing up here uninvited. I was just in the area and well…I wanted to apologise to you for what happened at dinner the other night. My family's behaviour was unacceptable and I'm sorry."

Rory narrowed her eyes as she studied him sceptically. "Um, thank you."

"It was a little naïve of Logan to throw you into the lions den like that, but still…Listen, I just acquired a new paper: The Stamford Eagle Gazette?" he continued, "Good circulation, pretty shoddy writing though. I'm going to be a little more hands on there for a few weeks, just to get the place running accordingly. I have an internship available, I was wondering if you would be interested."

Rory stared at him in surprise. "An internship?"

"Yes. It's an unpaid position, but it's an opportunity for you to get your feet wet. Get some experience working at a real newspaper." He explained.

As the initial excitement wore off, Rory realised what this offer really was. It was her reward for breaking up with Logan. Shira was making good on her promise, but it made Rory feel sick to even contemplate accepting.

"Thank you, but no thank you." She said as politely as she could. Mitchum stared back at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"No thank you?" His voice came out sounding incredulous that anyone would dare turn him down.

"No thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I'm pretty sure the only reason you are here is because your wife sent you…"

"My wife?"

"I did what she wanted. Now I just want to be left alone." She said plainly, trying to conceal the pain she felt at her recent break up.

"I'm sorry. What does my wife have to with anything? Do you really think that I am the kind of man who does something because his wife tells him to? You're a talented writer. Your Grandparents are always singing your praises. I'm offering you this opportunity because you deserve it." He said impassioned. Rory almost believed him, but Shira's words still rung in her ears.

"Like I said, thank you. But no."

"Okay, fine. What if my wife did have some say in this? What if my motives are completely self-serving? This is still a wonderful opportunity and it's being handed to you. You should grab it with both hands. The world of professional journalism is a cut throat business, Rory. If you really are serious about being successful, then you should make use of every opportunity that comes your way. Who cares what the circumstances are? What do you say?"

Rory sighed as Mitchum finished his speech. She chewed her lip as she considered his words. She really didn't trust him or his intentions regarding this internship, but he was right; it was a great opportunity. One that she couldn't afford to turn down.

Besides, she had been forced to give up Logan; she deserved something in return, right?

"Okay. I accept." She nodded with a slight smile on her face. Mitchum beamed as he straightened up.

"Excellent. You start on Monday. I'll see you then, Gilmore." And with that he was gone.

Rory sat down on the couch as she contemplated what had just happened. She had agreed to the internship and felt a rush of excitement at the prospect of working on a real newspaper. However, she couldn't ignore the underlying feelings of guilt she had. By accepting the internship, she had just played directly into Shira Huntzberger's hands. She had lost Logan and all of her self-respect in the space of a day. She felt disgusted with herself, she felt defeated and weak and angry. But most of all, she felt sad. She had given up her relationship with Logan and the potential happiness that might bring for her future. She hoped it was worth it. She hoped she had made the right choice.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Logan lowered his eyes to the marbled floor as he quietly crept passed the sitting room where his mother was having her lunch. He had dropped by to pick up some things he needed for school and was trying his best not to be noticed. He was in no mood to deal with his mother right now.

"Logan!" Too late.

He let out a defeated sigh as he turned and offered his mother a forced smile.

"Hey mom." He gestured towards her as she made her way through to the hallway.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" She kissed his cheek and placed her hand on his arm.

"Just picking up some things." He said sharply. He hadn't forgiven her for her behaviour the other night at dinner.

"Won't you stay for lunch? We never get to just enjoy one another's company anymore these days. You're always off gallivanting somewhere with those friends of yours. I do miss you, you know." She said laying the guilt trip on him. Logan let out a sigh and reluctantly gave in.

"Fine. But I can't stay for long."

"Wonderful." She smiled brightly at her son and then tugged on his arm leading him into the sitting room. She poured some tea and offered him a cup. Logan found himself turning his nose up at the tea. It wasn't strong enough. These day's he was more of a coffee drinker, no thanks to…

"So, Logan how are you?" Shira started interrogating him. Well, actually she was just making pleasant conversation with her son, but to Logan it was the start of some plot of hers to fix him up with one of her friend's daughters.

"I'm fine." He nodded as he reached for a croissant. He was pretty hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and after spending a night drowning his sorrows, he was in need of some nourishment.

"You look tired. Have you been sleeping alright?" She leaned towards him placing her hand over his playing the unfamiliar role of a concerned parent.

"I've been sleeping fine, Mom." He pulled his hand away and nibbled on the croissant.

"How is Rory?" Logan looked up at the mention of her name. His mother had said it with such revulsion he was surprised she hadn't choked on her tea.

"She's fine. I guess." He shrugged mumbling the last part. He really didn't want to talk about the fact he had just been dumped by the only girl he had ever really felt anything for. He especially didn't want to talk to his mother about it. The woman didn't have a maternal bone in her body. If he told her she would probably dance with glee at his misery.

"You guess?" _Damn!_

"I haven't seen her." He admitted hesitantly.

"Oh, I hope everything is okay between you two."

"Everything's fine." He said through gritted teeth.

"Are you sure because…"

"We broke up, okay!" He exploded at her. Shira's reaction surprised him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. She seemed like such a pleasant girl. But I suppose its better that you know what she's like now rather than later."

"What are you talking about?" He really had no idea what she going on about.

"Well, this is just my opinion, but I was a little suspicious of her intentions and now I guess I have been proved right." She said as sweetly as possible.

"Right about what?"

"About her. It can't just be a coincidence that a few hours after accepting an internship to work with your father that she breaks up with you."

Logan narrowed his eyes at her as he tried to process what she was telling him. "What internship?"

"Your father offered her an internship at the new newspaper he bought. I guess some people are just willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want." She shrugged and then sipped on her tea as the seeds of doubt she had planted in his mind took effect.

"Are you saying that she used me to…?" He couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't finish the thought. There was no way Rory would do that to him. She wasn't like that. She was different than all of the other girls. That's why he liked her so much. That's why he had committed to her. There was no way that she had just been stringing him along, using him to get her foot in the door with his father. There was no way.

"I have to go." He pushed out his chair and kissed his mother on the cheek before quickly making his way out of the house and to his car. He needed to talk to her. He needed to hear it from her. From Rory.

Shira smiled evilly to herself as she waved him off. Her plan was working perfectly. She would make sure Logan never looked at that insignificant little tramp ever again.

RLRLRLRL

Rory waited in line for some much needed coffee. It was the first time she had ventured out all day and she was in desperate need of some caffeine to let her get her head around everything that had happened over the last few days.

It was a lot to process.

She had gained a boyfriend, met his family, been made to feel like trash by said family, been offered thousands of dollars to break up with her boyfriend and then had her future threatened. She had then broken up with her boyfriend of three whole days and accepted an internship at a newspaper working with her ex-boyfriend's father.

__

No, my life's not too complicated!

The line moved forward and she thankfully was closer to her liquid salvation. She had never needed coffee more than she did right now.

"So, is it true?" A familiar voice came from behind her. She spun around to see Logan glaring at her. She ignored the slight dip her stomach made at being in his presence and then focused on the look of anger in his eyes.

"Is what true?"

"You're going to be working with my father." His voice sounded deadly calm. Rory felt rather unnerved by it.

"Um, yes." She shifted uncomfortably as passers by stared at them.

"Wow, how nice and convenient for you." He said sarcastically. His eyes were full of scorn.

"What are you…?"

"You know, if all you were after was contact with my father, you should've said. I would've gladly helped you out."

Rory stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm such an idiot. Here I was thinking you were different than all the others. I thought you were with me because you wanted to be with _me_, but you were just using me to get to my father." Logan laughed dryly.

Rory couldn't believe what he was saying. How could he possibly think that she would use him like that?

"Logan."

"I guess I should be more careful with the people I trust next time." He took one last hate-filled look at her and then turned and walked out of her life forever.

****

A/N: So, what did you think? I hope its not too melodramatic for you! LOL. Seriously though, I know this chapter is kind of depressing but it's a necessary evil. I have this all planned out in my head, so please don't despair. This is a Rogan (Would I write anything else?) Just keep reading and reviewing and all will be revealed in due course. Have I ever let you down so far? Thanks guys. J


	3. Chapter 3: Confronted with the Past

**__**

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated this one. I had a few kinks to work out before I could write anything. I hope you enjoy and read the Authors note at the end if you are confused at all. Enjoy.

Things I own: A Gilmore Girls T-shirt and mug.

Things I don't own: Gilmore Girls.

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter Three: Confronted with the Past

"I would like to thank everyone for coming and making this such a wonderful evening." Emily greeted the crowd, "With your generous donations the Carolina Forbes Foundation will live to fight another day, just like the woman herself. And as chairwoman of the DAR, I would like to say thank you. Now, enjoy the rest of your evening and I highly recommend the Salmon Puffs. They are simply exquisite!"

Loud applause and laughter followed Emily off the stage. She was beaming with pride and exhilaration. The night was proving to be another success and she was excited to marvel in it with her beloved granddaughter. Life couldn't get much better for Emily Gilmore.

"Rory!" She made her way over to where Rory was standing at the side of the stage. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a look of concern on her face. Emily didn't notice at first that something was troubling her only granddaughter. She was too enthused with her achievements. "Isn't it wonderful? Everyone is having a magical time and the donations are flying in."

"That's great, Grandma." Rory gave her a forced smile but her brow was still furrowed and she kept fidgeting with her dress. It was too loose fitting and it kept making a strange rustling noise whenever she moved. She wasn't sure what kind of material it was made from, but it wasn't the most flattering for her slender frame.

"It's more than great, Rory! It's incredible. It's overwhelming. It's life affirming to know that in these troubled times, people are still willing to help the less fortunate out." Her eyes pierced through Rory's and she let out a sigh.

"You should feel proud, Rory. You were a big part of this. Congratulations."

"Um, Grandma. One of the waiters threw up all over Mrs Berkinson's coat and we can't get the stain out." She said quickly and all in the same breath. She watched as Emily's bright features faded and were replaced by a look of horror.

"Did you fire him?" Emily wanted to know.

"Well, no. I sent him home. I think he has food poisoning." Rory informed her with a grimace on her face as she remembered the rather disgusting sight of him being sick.

"Does she know?"

"That he has food poisoning?" She queried arching an eyebrow.

"No. About the coat!" Her voice went up an octave. "Of course we will pay for dry cleaning. Take it out of the waiter's pay check and apologise profusely." Emily started walking and Rory scuttled along behind her, scribbling notes in her pad. Her black dress crackling as she moved.

This had become part of her routine since joining the DAR; following her Grandmother around whilst taking notes. A certain someone was right; she did make a good assistant.

She still remembered the conversation clearly. Having taken the internship with 'he who shall not be named', she had spent a couple of weeks thinking that she was doing a good job, only to have the rug pulled out from under her, causing her to lose her confidence and to lose her way.

Several months had passed since she took that overwhelming blow and decided that Yale wasn't the place for her. The words he used to tell her that she wasn't good enough to achieve her dreams were recited over and over again in her head as a mantra. A constant reminder of how big a failure she was.

Now she lived with her Grandparents; in their pool house, to be exact. She was a fully fledged member of The DAR and she hadn't spoken to her mother and best friend in months. She felt cut off. She felt alone, which was why she had begged her Grandmother to give her more to do at this latest event. She needed something to take her mind off her messy life. She needed something to focus on and be good at. She was a good assistant.

She did take some pride in the fact that the evening had been such a hit. She had put a lot of effort and time into making sure things went off without a hitch. Excluding the vomiting waiter, her evening had gone almost according to plan. That was until, while following after Emily, she heard familiar voices in the distance. Her blue eyes automatically searched for the owners of said voices and she froze on the spot. Her face paled and her heart started thumping frantically in her chest as her eyes fell upon the blonde duo. The voices belonged to Mr and Mrs Huntzberger; the parents of her ex-boyfriend and the two people she would least like to be trapped in a room with.

Their combined efforts in ruining her life had lead her to where she was right now. And right now, she couldn't breath, she felt sick and she was pretty sure it wasn't from food poisoning.

She had to get out of there. She couldn't face them. She couldn't look them in the eyes without wanting to give into the overwhelming urge to pour some kind of liquid all over them. She was pretty sure that Emily wouldn't approve if she were to soak the two most powerful and influential members of their circle.

Feeling her stomach dip, she knew she had to get away to the nearest bathroom and soon. Especially given that her grandmother was heading in their direction.

As Emily continued yammering on about how wonderful the event proved to be, Rory took advantage of the fact that she was distracted to step away. She quickly made a beeline for the stairs and headed to the closest bathroom. She grasped for the door handle but found that the door wouldn't budge. She felt her stomach swirling and knew she needed to get inside that room, so she pounded on the door with her tiny fists until, finally, the door opened and she was staring into the dark eyes of her past.

"Hello, Love!" Finn greeted her with a smile on his lipstick smeared face. Rory glanced from his dishevelled appearance to see the girl behind him who was readjusting her dress. Once she heard Finn greet her, the girl looked up in horror. "Long time, no-"

Rory cut Finn off as she pushed passed him and headed straight for the toilet. She fell to her knees and hugged the bowl while proceeding to heave the contents of her stomach up.

After a few minutes of throwing up everything she had eaten that day, she felt someone at her side, holding her hair back out of her sweaty face.

As the bout of nausea passed, she sat back against the wall and wiped her face with the damp towel which Finn had offered her.

"Thanks." She smiled faintly and closed her eyes. Finn watched her with concern in his eyes.

"You feeling better now?" He asked as he took a step towards her. Rory opened her eyes and gazed up at him. He was towering over her and the girl was nowhere to be seen. She nodded and felt the colour come back to her cheeks as she blushed with embarrassment that he had just witnessed her throw up.

"Yeah. Sorry." Finn smirked and then joined her on the floor.

"Don't be sorry. Sometimes we just cant hold onto these things. Believe me, I know." Rory glanced sideways at Finn and couldn't stop herself from laughing at him. Finn smiled.

"That's better." He nodded and nudged her arm.

"Sorry I interrupted…things." She told him referring to the girl he had been previously locked in the bathroom with. Finn shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, Love." he assured her. "So, what you been up to lately? I haven't seen you around campus in a while."

Rory shifted uncomfortably and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Um, I don't live on campus anymore."

"You don't?" He looked perplexed.

"I don't go to school anymore so they weren't too keen to have me stay there." She tried to joke, but it came out sounding anything but. Finn's perplexed expression didn't lessen.

"You don't go anymore? Did you graduate already? I mean, I know you liked to read, but I had no idea you were some kind of genius Superbrain." Rory chuckled slightly as his eyes widened.

"No, Finn. I didn't graduate."

"Did you transfer?"

Rory shook her head and then let out a heavy sigh. "No. I didn't graduate. I didn't transfer. I quit. I dropped out of Yale."

She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye as she didn't want to see the look on his face. The same look that she saw on her mothers face. The look which had been haunting her ever since. Disappointment.

Finn didn't say anything, but she could feel his eyes on her and she felt another bout of nausea come over her, but this time she managed to suppress it.

"Can I ask why?" His thick Australian accent broke through the silence. Rory braved a glance in his direction. His eyes were full of concern and confusion. "Why'd you drop out?"

Rory shrugged and lay her head back against the wall. She closed her eyes. "It just…wasn't the right place for me, right now."

"Why not?" Finn's voice remained soft and non judgemental. Rory opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"I needed to take some time to figure things out, that's all." She shrugged, trying to brush it off as no big deal, but even Finn knew it was. They might not have been close bosom buddies before, but he knew her well enough to know that her life had been so intensely focused on achieving one thing in particular. And he knew how determined she was to get there. However, he chose not to press her. It was none of his business.

Silence covered the room once more; the only sounds to be heard were coming from downstairs. People chatting and laughing, the sound of the band playing.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rory turned her head to face him. Finn smiled. "Why are you here? I thought you would've hated me after what happened."

Finn smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not one to bare a grudge."

At that, he pulled himself up off the floor and staggered a little as he readjusted himself. He gazed back down at Rory and offered his hand to help her up. Rory sighed and shook her head.

"I think I'll stay here for a while." She wasn't ready to go back downstairs. Back into the lions den. She knew she couldn't face the Huntzberger's. And seeing as Finn was here, she knew that the youngest Huntzberger was likely to be around too. She hadn't laid eyes on him since she quit school and she had no desire to run into him tonight.

"He doesn't hate you either, you know." Finn informed her as if reading her mind. Her eyes widened in surprise. Finn smiled and then made his way out of the bathroom, leaving Rory alone with her thoughts.

RLRLRLRLRL

"Man, I hate these things." Colin complained as he chewed on a bread stick. Logan sighed and leaned back against his chair.

"I hear you, buddy." He stifled a yawn and then reached for his glass of Scotch. He took a swig and then pulled on his tie to loosen it from around his neck.

"Can't we just bail? They'll never notice." Colin suggested with hope flickering in his eyes. Logan extinguished any hope of them leaving straightaway.

"Considering that my mother is determined to set me up with my future wife tonight, I would love to leave right now. However, my life won't be worth living if I do. So, we're stuck here for at least another hour."

Colin slumped back in his seat and scowled into his glass of Bourbon. "This sucks!"

"What crawled up his butt?" Finn asked as he approached the table. Logan glanced up to see his friend smiling at them. He had lipstick smeared on his cheek and a look on his face like he had just gotten some action.

__

Lucky bastard!

"Where have you been?" Colin frowned as he sat up and stared at his friend.

"I had some business to take care of in the bathroom." He filled them in with a smirk on his face. Logan rolled his eyes.

"Nice." Colin commented and then returned his focus to his drink. Finn sat down in the chair beside Logan. He stared at him knowingly with a grin on his face. Logan eyed him curiously as he took another swig of Scotch. He felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What?" He wondered. Finn just kept staring at him and grinning. He was starting to give him the creeps. "Finn, stop staring at me! You're freaking me out!"

Finn laughed and then settled back on the chair. "I know something you don't know!"

"Really?" Finn nodded enthusiastically but didn't speak another word leaving Logan fighting the urge to hit him upside the head.

"Care to share with the rest of the group?" He motioned towards Colin, who was still glaring at the people around him. Finn continued staring and smiling in a very disconcerting kind of way. Logan frowned. "Finn!"

"Rory's here." Finn finally revealed. Colin's gaze locked on his friend's face as did Logan's. "You know, Rory Gilmore? You're lovely ex-girlfriend?"

"Gilmore's here?" Colin was suddenly far more interested in the conversation. Finn nodded. Logan kept his eyes on his friend but said nothing. "How'd she look?"

"As ravishing as ever!" Finn admitted with a smile on his face. Logan turned his gaze away and focused his attentions on the glass of Scotch in front of him. He really didn't want to talk about Rory Gilmore. In fact, he didn't want anything to do with the girl.

Finn noticed his silence and studied the blonde for a few seconds. "Did you know she wasn't going to Yale anymore?"

Logan's eyes widened and his head snapped up. "She's not?"

"Nope." Finn shook his head. "She told me that she dropped out."

"She dropped out?!" Colin sounded incredulous mirroring exactly how Logan felt at the time.

"Are you serious?" Logan asked he couldn't wrap his mind around the possibility of Rory Gilmore quitting Yale. She lived for school. It was a part of who she was.

"She told me herself." Finn admitted.

"That doesn't make any sense. I mean, why would she drop out of school?" Logan was puzzled. As much as he didn't care about her anymore, he still couldn't process the information that she would voluntarily leave school. Also, why would she go to all of that trouble of using him to get the internship with his father, if a few months later she was going to quit?

"Maybe she's pregnant!" Colin suggested flippantly.

"Don't be ridiculous." Logan tried to brush off the comment. However, Finn's reaction made him feel uneasy. He froze momentarily. Logan looked at him and saw some kind of realisation growing in his eyes.

"What?" He wanted to know what was going on in his friends mind for the first time in his life. Finn kept his eyes locked on Colin's face as the dots connected in his brain. "Finn! What?"

"She _was_ wearing this really unflattering dress. It looked she was trying to hide something." He admitted with a blank expression. Logan shook his head.

"No. There's no way…"

"Think about it, Logan." Colin interrupted him. "You remember how much of a bookworm the girl was. What other reason would she have to just quit Yale like that? After all the effort she went to. It makes sense."

"I-"

"She threw up."

"What?" Logan narrowed his eyes at Finn's comment.

"In the bathroom, when I saw her. She threw up."

"So?" Logan's brain was whirling as he contemplated what his friends were saying.

"Being sick, wearing loose-fitting clothing, dropping out of school. All these things are the actions of a person who may be with child." Finn reasoned and then fixed his gaze on Logan. "Your child."

Logan shook his head. "No. No, there is absolutely no way!" He insisted. He pushed out his chair. He needed to get away from his crazy friends.

"You should talk to her, man. Find out for sure." Colin advised but Logan was already half way to the bar. He needed another drink. In fact, he needed a lot of drinks.

As he made a beeline for the bar, something caught his eye. The sight of his mother's blonde hair in the not too far off distance made him cringe with fear. He so wasn't in the mood to deal with her trying to marry him off tonight. He needed to avoid her at all costs. He glanced around at his surroundings and noticed an abandoned doorway just inches away.

Taking one last look, he made a hasty run for it and closed the door behind him quickly before anyone noticed him. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the door, breathing a deep sigh of relief. He was alone. He was free to let his brain catch up with the events of the night so far, namely the possibility that his ex-girlfriend could bear his unborn child.

He didn't have too long to contemplate this as he was interrupted by a familiar voice, so soft, he almost thought he was imagining things.

"Hi." Logan slowly opened his eyes and instantly locked onto the same pair of blue eyes which had been haunting him for months. He couldn't speak as realisation dawned on him. His eyes roamed over her body, taking in the hideous dress which may possibly be covering up more than just her alabaster skin. Her shiny brown hair framed her pale face and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Even though, he had spent all of these months hating her, she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

Clearing his throat and his mind, he figured he should probably say something in response to her shaky 'hi'. His brain tried to come up with something intelligible but all he was left with was; 'Hi."

****

A/N: So, a few things; this chapter picks up about four months after the previous one. Like in the show, Rory took the internship with 'he who shall not be named' and also like on the show, he crushed her. Rory quit Yale, fell out with Lorelai and moved in with Richard and Emily as you all know. Logan went on with his life, went to Europe with Finn and Colin and has no idea about Shira's ultimatum to Rory or how his father treated Rory. I probably should have mentioned this at the beginning of the chapter, but I didn't want to spoil it. Hopefully, it all makes sense and if not, I'll try and clear things up as we go along. Now, please leave me a review. Let me know what you think and whether I should continue with this one. I like the direction I'm going in and I hope you do too.


	4. Chapter 4: Something to Hide

_**A/N: So I think the resounding answer was that you want me to continue this one. Very well, here's the next chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I do not own the show.**_

An Offer She couldn't Refuse

Chapter Four: Something to Hide

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, but what was really only a few seconds before Logan finally spoke.

"I didn't know anyone was in here." He said softly breaking his gaze from her. He peered down at the floor and realised that he was still holding his empty glass.

"I was just…" He looked back up as he heard her voice. Rory took a step towards him and crossed her arms over her body defensively; her dress rustling in the process.

"Hiding?" He suggested. Rory met his gaze and then gave him a faint smile.

"Is it that obvious?" She rubbed her hand over her exposed neck and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Only to someone doing the same thing." He admitted with a slight smirk. As much as he still hated her, he couldn't resist falling back into old habits when around her. Rory smiled and then quickly looked away.

"Grandparents?" He wondered as to who she was hiding from. Rory narrowed her eyes slightly. Her grandparents were the least of her problems and she couldn't very well tell him that she was in fact hiding - unsuccessfully - from him. So she just nodded and then dropped her hands to her sides as she became transfixed with his smiling face. She really had missed that smile. The way it lit up his whole face, highlighting the sparkle in his deep brown eyes. His hair was mussed up in that familiar haphazard way that he pulled off so well and his tall, muscular frame was dressed in a black designer suit which was fitted to accentuate his physique perfectly.

"What about you?" She asked in a strained voiced. She was struggling to keep a hold of her composure.

"Shira's on the rampage." He told her with a knowing glint in his eyes. Rory nodded. She knew only too well how Shira Huntzberger could be.

Silence descended throughout the room as the pair shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, fidgeting with anything they could think of. Logan became fascinated with his glass and Rory had never fully realised the advantages of wearing jewellery until now.

"So, I hear you ran into Finn." He said cutting through the tension. He furrowed his brow as he remembered that there was something that he had to talk to her about. He wanted to know what exactly was going on and why she had quit school. He wanted to know whether Colin's ludicrous suggestion about her being pregnant bore any credence.

His eyes travelled over her body searching for any clues. She was wearing a loose-fitting black dress which flowed to just below her knees. It wasn't really her usual style he remembered. Rory usually dressed to highlight her curves without being provocative. The dress looked a little dowdy and not his Ace at all. Not that she was his Ace anymore. However, if she were pregnant, it would be the perfect outfit to conceal any bumps that may be showing after four months.

"Um, yeah. Literally." Her eyes widened as she was startled by the sound of his voice. She laughed softly to herself. It amazed her that in four months, he still possessed the ability to make her knees go weak and her mind turn to mush.

"He said you weren't going to Yale anymore." Logan continued determined to get to the bottom of what was going on with her. Rory didn't answer; she lowered her gaze to the ground and chewed nervously on her bottom lip. She shook her head in response.

"Can I ask why?" Rory looked up and met his gaze straight on.

"I had my reasons." She told him cryptically. She hadn't told him about Shira's ultimatum and her threat to her career, not that she had any kind of serious career prospects now. She hadn't told him about his fathers part in her decision to leave Yale and she couldn't bring herself to now.

"Which were?"

"Like I told Finn, it wasn't the right place for me right now." She explained while avoiding his gaze.

"Why not?" He narrowed his eyes at her and sat his glass on the table beside the door.

"Logan…" She sighed heavily and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"I just don't get why you would go to all of that trouble to get the internship with my father in the first place." He furrowed his brow. "If you were just going to quit a few weeks later, why bother?"

"Why do you care so much?"

"I don't care. I'm just curious."

"Well, it's none of your business." She tried to brush it off but this only succeeded in pissing him off. He closed the distance between them both, to the point where she could smell his aftershave toying with her senses.

"None of my business! I think I have a right to know." His voice raised as his annoyance grew. Rory's eyes narrowed.

"How do you work that one out? You made your feelings perfectly clear." She said bitterly remembering the night he turned his back and walked away from her. "What I do with my life, is my business. It doesn't concern you."

Logan gaped at her and then took another step towards her. "It concerns me when it's my baby you're carrying around inside you?"

Rory's brow furrowed in confusion as she let his harsh words process through her mind. What on earth was he talking about? Who mentioned anything about a baby?

"What!?" She stared at him slightly dumbfounded. Logan kept his intense brown eyes locked on hers.

"Look, I know, okay. You don't need to pretend anymore. It's fairly obvious."

"What is?" Rory was completely bewildered by what he was talking about.

"I know about the baby. You don't have to cover it up with ugly-ass dresses. It's obvious you're trying to hide it." He lowered his gaze to her apparent 'ugly-ass dress' and gestured towards her stomach. Rory glanced down with a look of sheer befuddlement.

"You think I'm pregnant?!" She couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Her brain was stuck. Logan just gave her a look of distaste that would make any other person cringe. However, Rory was still processing the newest batch of information so it didn't register.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me. I don't know what you think of me, but I would've done the right thing. I would've been there. We would've figured something out." Rory gazed up at him. He seemed genuinely hurt. She was confused. Her eyes returned to take in her outfit. He thought she was pregnant. He thought she was trying to cover something up with the hideous dress her grandmother had picked out for her to wear. Her head flew up as something occurred to her.

"You think I look fat!?" Her eyeballs almost popped out of her skull as realisation dawned. Logan didn't answer. He just glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest. Rory's mouth dropped open aghast at his inaccurate accusations. She wasn't pregnant. She wasn't even remotely close to being pregnant. She simply had a grandmother who had fairly bad judgement when it came to choosing clothing for the younger generation and an insane internal fear of disappointing her. "I can't believe you…!"

She rubbed her hands over the front of her dress and straightened the puffed out material, emphasising her flat stomach. "I'm not pregnant!"

Logan fixed his eyes on hers suspiciously eyeing her before lowering his gaze to her stomach. He didn't say a word for a few seconds.

"I'm not pregnant." She said firmly with fire in her eyes. She had never felt so insulted or humiliated before in her life.

"You're not?" He pondered and then a frown crept over his features. Rory shook her head.

"No. And I'm not hiding anything. My Grandmother picked out this 'ugly-ass' dress." She informed him, her anger brewing. Logan felt his heart rate decrease as a sense of calm and relief flooded through his body. She wasn't pregnant. He wasn't going to be a father anytime soon. He could breathe again.

Then he could go kill Colin and Finn.

"Why would you think…?"

"Well, Finn said that you…and then Colin said…" he sighed as the stress finally got to him. He perched himself against the edge of the table and ran his fingers through his soft hair. Rory watched him closely. He looked tired and pale. Obviously the idea of becoming the father to her child didn't sit well with him. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by that.

"So, you're not pregnant?" He seeked clarification. Rory shook her head forcefully. Silence filled the room and Rory lowered herself onto the couch.

"Do you really think I look fat?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Logan's eyes found hers and after a few seconds she could see his confusion melt away to be replaced by amusement. His trademark smirk appeared across his features and her heart flipped.

"You look…" He smiled as his eyes roamed over her appraisingly, taking in her appearance. She felt herself blush under his perusal; however, her awkwardness was soon interrupted by the mind-numbing fear of running into the person she despised more than anything when the door opened and the voice of Shira Huntzberger drifted into the room.

"Logan? Are you in here?" Rory jumped up off the couch, her eyes widened in fear at being found in the room alone with Logan. Logan moved lazily off the edge of the table and let out a frustrated groan. Shira entered the room fully and smiled at her son.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes fell upon Rory. Her smile faded to be replaced by a look of revulsion. "Oh, hello Rory."

Rory nodded but avoided making eye contact with the woman. "Mrs Huntzberger."

Shira's eyes narrowed in distaste. She glanced back at Logan and gave him a forced smile. "Amber Hamilton is here. You should go and say hello."

Logan sighed and then returned his gaze to Rory. He rolled his eyes as Rory smiled faintly at him and then made his way out of the room, leaving Rory alone with his mother.

Rory glanced up as she felt the room temperature quickly decrease. She chanced a look in Shira's direction and was met with an icy stare. Shira didn't speak. She didn't have to. Her eyes told Rory exactly what she was thinking. _Stay away from my son!_

"It was nice to see you again, Rory. I love the dress." Shira grinned evilly and then turned on her heel and left the room. Rory remained frozen on the spot waiting for her heart rate to slow down. Seeing Logan and his mother was too much for her in one day. She needed to get out of there. She needed to go home and shut the world out and burn this hideous dress.

She closed her eyes as she prepared herself to venture out of the little room she had seeked sanctuary in. She would find her grandmother and tell her she was coming down with something and then drive straight home and curl up under the covers, never to surface again.

RLRLRLRL

Logan had successfully managed to ditch Amber Hamilton after spending five minutes listening to her inane ramblings. He excused himself to the bar needing a refill and then made his way back to the table where his two best friends still frequented. His mind was still swirling after his encounter with Rory Gilmore, the supposed mother of his imaginary child, according to Colin and Finn anyway. He was so going to kick their asses.

He sat down in the chair he had been sitting on earlier and took a swig of Scotch as his friends watched him with wide eyes, anxious to discover the truth. Logan decided he would let them stew for a few more minutes so he said nothing. He just let out a heavy sigh and slumped back against the chair. Colin and Finn glanced worriedly at each other before returning their combined gazes to Logan. Finn, always the impatient one, couldn't wait any longer to find out if he was going to be an uncle.

"Well, is she preggers or not, mate?" He blurted out as he slammed his glass down on the table. Logan met his gaze and then met Colin's anxious eyes. He sighed again, playing it out, letting them squirm.

"She is, isn't she?" Colin jumped to conclusions. He shook his head and gave his friend a look filled with pity. Finn patted Logan on the back and smiled faintly at him.

"Don't worry, mate. We'll help you out." He assured him. Colin nodded in concurrence with Finn while inwardly Logan was laughing his ass off at their expressions. They looked distraught. Colin looked pale as if it were him who had just learned he was going to be a father out of wedlock.

"Whatever you need," Colin told him, "I can't believe she's pregnant. I mean, pregnant!" Colin was incredulous. He felt so sorry for his friend. No more parties. No more getting drunk and getting laid. He had responsibilities now. He had a baby on the way. His life would be full of changing diapers and cleaning up baby puke. His life, for all intents and purposes, was over.

Finn had gone passed mourning the death of his friend's social life and was focusing on the future. Rory's future. He had always liked the brunette and felt that she brought out the best in his lifelong friend. He worried about how she was feeling about the news. He could only imagine how alone and terrified she felt and he was determined to make sure that Logan stood up and took responsibility for his actions. "So, are you going to marry her?"

Logan took another sip from his glass just as Finn asked his question. As soon as the words left his mouth, Logan spat out his drink and stared at his friend in shock. Colin's eyes widened in horror at the prospect of Logan getting married. He hated the whole institution having grown up watching his father go through wives like they were on fire sale. He pitied his friend if he was going to be doomed to living in a loveless marriage for the rest of his life.

Finn remained determined in his stance. He was convinced that marrying Rory would be the right thing to do and he wasn't going to let Logan weasel his way out of it.

"What!?" Logan remained staring at his friend unblinking. He wiped his hand over his mouth and then burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. Finn glared at him and then turned to see Colin who looked just as clueless as he did.

_What the hell was so funny?_

"Oh my god! You should really see the look on your faces. I wish I had a camera." He managed to get out as he continued laughing.

Finn frowned and then punched his laughing friend on the arm. "This isn't funny, Logan."

"Yeah, this is serious." Colin reinforced. Neither understanding how Logan could possibly find this situation even remotely funny. Colin looked at Finn completely bemused. "Maybe it's the shock."

"Or maybe he's a jackass just like his father." Finn scowled at Logan and waited for him to regain his composure. Eventually he did.

"Or maybe she's not pregnant and I was just screwing with you guys." Logan admitted still trying to fight the hilarity of their reactions.

"What?" Colin and Finn both asked.

"She's not pregnant. I was just messing with you. It's your own fault. You were the ones who came up with the ridiculous idea. Made me look like an idiot. Serves you right." He admitted as he rubbed his arm which hurt from Finn punching him.

"That's just cruel, Logan." Colin glared at him and then slumped back on his chair with a scowl on his face. Finn's frown faded and was quickly replaced with a smirk.

"But a good one. Well played, Huntzberger! You certainly had us going there." He commended him and raised his glass in salute. Logan grinned and then clinked his glass against Finn's.

"I learned from the master." He acknowledged and Finn nodded approvingly.

"So, what did she say?" Finn wanted to know. Now that the pregnancy scare was out of the window, he wanted to know what had been said between the pair. He wanted to know why Rory Gilmore had decided to give up on her dream of becoming a journalist.

Logan shrugged evasively. "Nothing much."

"Oh come on. You must have talked about something after you found out she was carrying your spawn."

"Well, after I basically insinuated that she was fat, she wasn't really in a talkative kind of mood." Logan explained with a smile remembering her reaction. "Then my mother walked in…"

"Ah! It is a serious buzz kill when the parental units walk in on you." Finn nodded as if he knew through experience.

"We weren't doing anything to walk in on, Finn." Logan assured him. "Rory and I are ancient history."

"Really?" Finn asked not quite believing him.

"Yeah. Really." Logan replied forcefully. Finn smirked and Colin rolled his eyes at his friend's obliviousness. "What?"

"She did kind of break your heart, mate." Finn reasoned sympathetically with him. Logan's brown eyes flew open incensed by his comments.

"What the hell are you talking about? We dated for like two seconds, she didn't break my heart." Logan bit out. He frowned in exasperation with his friend's accusation.

"Yeah, exactly. You still dated her."

"So?"

"So, she was the first-"

"-and only girl." Colin interrupted Finn. The Aussie nodded at his friend's point.

"She was the first and only girl you ever considered getting serious with and then a couple of days later she dumps you for dubious reasons. It makes sense that you would be a little gun-shy."

Logan let out a heavy sigh of annoyance and shook his head. He loved his friends dearly, but tonight they were driving him insane.

"I'm not gun-shy and I did not get my heart broken." He insisted with fury in his eyes.

"Okay." Colin commented sarcastically which only annoyed Logan even more. Finn remained sympathetic to his friend's plight.

"So, then why did you spend the summer moping around Europe, huh? Or why is it that whenever any girl with brown hair and blue eyes approaches you, you give them the brush off?"

"I was not moping around Europe." He said childishly. Colin sniggered.

"Oh you moped, my friend." He remembered only too well from their time spent in Europe last summer just how miserable Logan had really been.

"I wasn't moping for her!" He insisted. "The girl used me to get an internship. Forgive me, if I don't roll over and forget about it straight away."

"So, you admit it? It did affect you?" Finn jumped in with a smile on his face and hope in his eyes that his friend was finally willing to admit that he cared about Rory Gilmore.

"No. I could care less." He was determined not to admit the truth. He was determined to never let anyone see him so vulnerable ever again, including his best friends.

Finn shook his head in frustration and then let his gaze trail over the crowd. He stared back at Logan with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Okay, so if you are so determined that she meant nothing to you and that you were completely unaffected by her whatsoever, then it won't be hard for you to go over there and ask her to dance." He said with a hint of triumph in his voice. Finn knew he had him right where he wanted him.

Logan and Colin followed Finn's gaze to see Rory Gilmore standing talking to her grandmother. Colin smirked and Logan closed his eyes feeling his resolve sink.

"Finn." He protested, but Finn ignored him. Colin remained smiling at him and after a few seconds, he gave in. He let out a sigh and then downed the rest of his drink. He pushed out his chair and then buttoned up his jacket. He sent them one last death glare and then slowly made his way across the room to where Rory was standing.

Emily was the first one to spot him and she greeted him with a warm smile. "Logan! How are you?"

Logan greeted her with similar warmth and placed a kiss on her cheek. Rory stood silent beside them. She didn't look particularly happy to see him at all.

"I'm wonderful, Emily." He plastered his best fake smile across his face and stole a glance at the younger of the Gilmore's. She was trying her best not to look like she was paying any attention to his presence, but her face was turning red. Logan could tell she was blushing. He was pleased with that. "I just wanted to come over and pay my compliments. You really know how to throw a party, Emily."

Emily's smile broadened at his compliment and she turned toward Rory. "Oh, well I can't take all of the credit. Some of that has to go to our newest member here."

Logan's eyes fell on Rory as he realised what Emily was saying. Rory was a member of the DAR. She had helped organise this event and probably more. He couldn't believe it. Was that what she had been reduced to? Planning DAR social gatherings and arranging tea dances.

"Well, congratulations, Rory." Rory's eyes flickered over his and then quickly back to stare at the ground. "You must be so proud." He said with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Rory raised her gaze back up to meet his and he could see a mixture of emotions fizzling under the surface. He wasn't sure if the strongest was anger or embarrassment.

"Well, I just came over to ask for a dance." He returned his gaze back to Emily. He knew that he could get Rory to dance with him without even having to make it look like it was his idea. Emily would die to have her granddaughter seen in the arms of a Huntzberger.

Emily beamed at him and then let her smiling eyes fall on Rory. "Oh, I am much too busy, but maybe Rory…"

Rory's eyes widened in horror at what her grandmother was suggesting. "What?"

"You were just saying how exhausted you were. Take a break, dance with Logan."

"Oh, I don't…"

"Is that okay with you, Logan?" Emily cut her off. Logan smirked as his plan fell into place.

"That's fine with me, Emily." He fixed his eyes on Rory and noticed her hesitate at the prospect of being up close with him. It wasn't really his idea of a perfect night either, but he wasn't going to let his friends win this one. He would prove to them that he wasn't hung up on Rory Gilmore and that she had merely been no more than a blip on his radar.

"Excellent." Emily clapped her hands as the excitement shone from her eyes. She pushed Rory towards Logan and then watched on in glee as Logan offered Rory his hand.

Rory glared at him and then sighed before accepting his proffered hand. They left Emily behind as Logan guided Rory through the dancing crowd to take their place in the centre of the dance floor. Rory kept her gaze on the floor and was surprised when he suddenly stopped and she bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry." She muttered and then drew a deep breath as Logan gave her his trademark smirk. He then placed one hand strategically on her waist and the other held her hand out as they began moving in time with the music.

They remained silent for a while just letting the music guide them through the throngs of people. Occasionally, Rory would glance up and catch him staring down at her, but their eyes would not meet for long.

"So, is that why you quit?" Logan broke the silence just as Rory was enjoying the feeling of being in his embrace. Her head was swimming with the scent of him and the feel of his hands on her. God, she had missed him.

"Rory?" He pressed her as she remained lost in the sensations his close proximity was stirring in her.

"Huh?" She said dreamily before meeting his dark eyes and remembering that they weren't a young couple in love dancing to the melody being played by the band. They were two relative strangers now, who just happened to share a complicated past.

"Is this why you quit Yale? Because you suddenly remembered your overwhelming desire to join the DAR?" He asked again with sarcasm in his tone. Rory instantly shook off her dreamy state and went into defensive mode.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think what I did with my life was any of your interest." She said sternly with a frown on her face.

"What does your mother think of your life choices?" He knew that there was no way Lorelai would be happy about her only daughter being so pally with her grandmother. From what Rory had told him about her mother, and from what he had heard about the infamous Lorelai growing up, she and Emily did not see eye to eye. There was no way that Lorelai would approve of Rory dropping out and joining the DAR. She would never let her only child become so intrinsically involved in the world she fought do hard to leave behind. Would she?

Rory's firm gaze wavered slightly at the mention of her mother. He could immediately tell that he had hit a nerve. Rory let out a sigh and then let her eyes flutter over the passing faces.

"We're not exactly talking right now." She explained reluctantly. Logan frowned. Things were worse than he thought. Not only had she dropped out of school, but she was no longer talking to her mother. For him, that would have been a blessing, but he remembered how close she was with her mother. His confusion was growing by the second as he tried to figure out the puzzle that was Rory Gilmore. He hated the fact that he even remotely cared about what she was doing with her life. He had spent so much energy over the last few months focused on hating her that he was beginning to forget why he hated her. Especially when she now looked so lost and un-Rory like.

For as long as he had known her, which wasn't all that long, she had always been so focused and so determined when it came to her future. To the point where she had made him question his own ambitions. Now, she was a shell of her former self. She had turned into everything he despised about his world. All of her original quirks, which he had found so endearing in the first place, had been sucked out of her. Her brilliant blue eyes had lost their sparkle and he was beginning to wonder if she even drank coffee anymore.

She looked tired and drained of what made her so special. She no longer resembled the girl he couldn't resist. The girl who had broken his heart and made him promise himself that he would never let anyone get too close to him again. He should be happy that she looked so miserable. He should take comfort that things didn't work out for her, but he didn't. He couldn't. Something wasn't right with the world when Rory Gilmore was the one who was drifting. That was supposed to be his role.

"Why did you quit? Why did you go to all that effort to get close to me to get the internship if you were just going to drop out a few weeks later?" His voice wasn't bitter this time. He just wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know why. Rory didn't speak. She couldn't. She felt a lump form in her throat restricting her from giving him the answer he wished for. She looked sadly up into his questioning brown eyes and felt her heart break all over again.

Logan waited anxiously for her to respond to his question, but then the music finished and Rory moved out of his embrace. They both remained staring at the other, Rory dying inside to tell him what he wanted to know but reluctant to cause him any more pain. Logan just waiting, hoping for something to allow him to finally close the door on that chapter in his life.

But no words came. No sound. Nothing. Only pain-filled stares and agonisingly long pauses. Logan sighed and shook his head as he took one last look and then turned to walk away. As he did so, Rory grabbed his arm and he spun back to face her. She met his darkened eyes and took a deep breath.

"I didn't use you. Things got out of control and I didn't…I'm sorry I hurt you." She fought the words out, but she felt slightly lighter having apologised. She knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear. She knew it wasn't enough to make him fall into her arms and forgive everything, but it was a start.

Logan lowered his gaze to the ground and then slid his arm from her grasp. "You didn't hurt me, Rory."

He spoke so quietly that she could barely hear him, but by the time she had worked out what he had said, he was gone. She felt tears prick her eyes and her heart sink with sadness as she watched him walk away from her once again.

From across the room, Shira watched intently as her son danced with Rory Gilmore. Her eyes were fixed on their encounter and she felt nothing but anger that the girl would even dare to go against her. Who did she think she was?

_**A/N: So, Rory's not pregnant. Emily just has bad fashion sense and Finn and Colin like jumping to conclusions. I hope you're not too disappointed. There will be no pitter patter of tiny feet in this story. That is not where I intend to go with this one. I hope you'll stick with me. Please review. **_


	5. Chapter 5: No Girl So Sweet

**A/N: **_I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update this one. My head has been too full of ISWAK and JHL among others that I haven't been able to get into this one, until now. I feel this story is coming along quite nicely and I hope you all agree and enjoy the update. Thanks, J. _

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Gilmore Girls or the title of this chapter. That belongs to PJ Harvey. _

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter Five: No Girl So Sweet

Rory collapsed exhausted onto her bed with her arms outstretched, her hair splayed behind her, heaving a deep sigh. She turned her face slightly to see the time displayed on her alarm clock. It was only 9am. She had been up since the crack of dawn, literally, thanks to Emily, who believed that an early start was the only way. Rory's tired mind, eyes and body disagreed with her. She needed sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. And anyway, apart from her DAR duties, what else did she need to get up so early for. Sometimes she wished she could just lock herself in her bedroom away from her Grandmother; away from the world.

Breathing another heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and welcomed sleep to consume her. However, as she had already discovered life was cruel and her peaceful silence was disturbed by the sound of someone calling her from the other room.

Groaning, she pulled her weary limbs up from the bed and shuffled through to the living room, fully expecting her Grandmother to be waiting for her with more inane tasks for her to complete.

_I hate my life!_

As she entered the living room, her eyes widened as she noticed a familiar raven haired girl sitting on her sofa, with an expectant smile on her face.

"Vanessa!?"

"In the flesh." The dark-haired beauty confirmed and stood up as Rory crossed the room to greet her with a warm hug.

"I didn't think you were getting back until next week." She said as she pulled away from her. "You look incredible. Paris obviously works for you."

Vanessa laughed as Rory let her eyes take in the tanned perfection standing before her. Vanessa Cartwright was tall and slim. She had long legs and long, shiny dark hair and dark brown eyes that held you prisoner if you dared glance at them. She was stunning and quite possibly the one person in Rory's life right now that didn't drive her nuts.

Vanessa was born into society but unlike many of her peers, she still had her feet firmly on the ground. She and Rory had bonded over one of Emily's famous tea dances a few months back and had become fast friends.

"I really didn't want to come home, but I have some interesting news to share and couldn't wait another week to tell you and everybody else." Vanessa spoke enthusiastically. She was beaming. In fact, Rory was certain she was glowing. She definitely had missed her these last two weeks.

"What?" Rory asked, suddenly feeling re-energised. Vanessa always had that affect on people. She was always so bubbly and full of life that it was hard not to feel the same way.

Vanessa continued grinning at her and then held up her left hand. Rory was almost blinded by the shiny rock staring back at her. It was huge. Rory's eyes widened once again and her jaw dropped.

"He proposed?" Vanessa nodded excitedly, a huge grin spreading across her features.

"He proposed!" Vanessa exclaimed and wrapped her arms around Rory in a bone crunching hug.

"Can you believe it?" she pulled away and stared down at the huge ring on her wedding finger. "He just asked me. It was completely out of the blue. We were just walking down the street and he just stopped and pulled out this little box and then…"

Rory was completely delighted by her friend's good news. Vanessa had been dating Patrick Hudson for about two and a half years and they were, quite possibly, the most perfect couple on the planet. He worshipped the ground she walked on and whenever Vanessa would talk about him, her eyes would go all starry and she would sigh like he was Prince Charming or something. Rory thought it was sweet, but at the same time, she had found herself becoming increasingly jealous of her friend's perfect life. And, although, she was exceedingly happy for her, it was just one more thing to remind her of her own pathetic life.

She felt like everyone else was moving forward and she was the only person standing still. She was stuck in her Grandparents pool house, her mother wasn't talking to her, she had no direction in her life and Logan hated her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Vanessa had stopped half way through retelling her wonderful romantic tale as she noticed Rory's sad expression.

"I'm fine." Rory replied as brightly as she could. Vanessa didn't buy it for a second.

"Is Emily getting to you?" She asked knowingly. Rory didn't answer and instantly Vanessa jumped into action. She tugged on her friend's arm and started pulling her towards the door. "Come on! I'm getting you out of here. Let's go shopping!"

Vanessa didn't hear the groan coming from Rory at the prospect of traipsing around dress shops. She was too happy with her own news; she didn't notice her friend's despair.

RLRLRLRL

"Hey Rory? Can you get me that blue dress? I want to try it on." Vanessa's muffled voice asked from the other side of the curtain. Rory was sitting on a bench reading a trashy magazine while Vanessa tried on every dress in the store.

"Uh, sure." She sat the magazine down and made her way from the changing rooms to the main shop floor. She searched for the blue dress that Vanessa had been eyeing earlier.

"That would look awesome on you!" Someone exclaimed from behind her as she held the blue, floaty dress up to her body. She turned her head to see two girls standing beside her; one with red hair, the other with blonde. They both had big smiles on their faces and Rory smiled as well as the realisation hit her.

"Rosemary! Juliet! Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Juliet just got dumped, so we're indulging in some retail therapy." Rosemary explained. Juliet just glared at the red head.

"I did not get dumped. I broke up with him." She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Rosemary rolled her eyes and smiled at Rory.

"Right. Sorry. So, what are you doing here? We haven't seen you since…" she broke off as she realised the reasons behind them not seeing each other for so long. "…well, it's been a while."

Rory gave her a small smile and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Yeah."

"How have you been?"

"Good. You know, busy."

"Right. I heard you joined the DAR. That must be…a lot of…work." She said awkwardly trying to find the right words.

"Yeah. It is. My Grandmother keeps me busy."

"Right. I remember Emily from my cotillion. She makes Hitler look like a little furry kitten."

"She's not so bad." Rory tried to defend her Grandmother but then she remembered all the early mornings and couldn't find the justification to do it. "Well, maybe a little."

All three girls laughed at that and then suddenly Rory felt uncomfortable under Rosemary's scrutinising gaze.

"Ooh, check out that dress!" Juliet left them alone as she was drawn to a little black number at the other side of the store.

Rory could still feel Rosemary's eyes burning into her and she felt very uncomfortable. She felt like she knew a secret about her. It was disarming.

"So, I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Logan. I always thought you two made a great couple. When he finally figured it out, I was sure you two were…" Her voice trailed off again as she noticed Rory's pained expression.

"Well, I thought you looked cute together." She shrugged and Rory gave her a forced smile.

"I guess some things just aren't meant to be." She sighed wistfully. Rosemary gave her another studious look like she didn't quite believe her blasé attitude.

"Funny. I was pretty sure that you two were." Rory met her gaze and again felt uncomfortable. She felt as if Rosemary was reading her mind and could see exactly what she was feeling.

"What about you? How's your love life? Did Finn finally wear you down?" She asked desperate to change the subject. Any longer and she would be breaking down and confessing all of her darkest secrets to her. She had always liked Rosemary and Juliet. They hadn't been particularly close but they were fun to hang out with along with Logan, Colin and Finn.

"Oh, don't even go there." Rosemary rolled her eyes and Rory couldn't help but laugh. She remembered all the times that Finn had tried to wear down her resistance. It had never worked but he was persistent if nothing else.

"Listen, what are you doing tonight?" Rosemary asked as Juliet returned clutching the black dress she had fallen in love with.

"Um, I don't know."

"Well, a bunch of us are going to this club tonight? You should come." She said cheerily. Both Rory and Juliet stared at the red head with surprise and uncertainty in their eyes.

"Oh, I don't think that would be such a good idea."

"Logan won't be there. If that's what you're worried about. Finn told me he's having dinner with his parents." Rory noticed Juliet visibly relax at the news.

"Um…"

"Oh come on, Gilmore! It'll be like old times. I miss having you around. You can't leave me to deal with Finn on my own. Please?" Rosemary pleaded with her as Juliet smiled expectantly.

"Yeah, come on, Rory. Hang out with us." The blonde echoed her friend's sentiments. Rory chewed nervously on her lower lip. She hadn't really spent any time with their group since she and Logan had gone their separate ways. She had always felt that they were his friends and that when she gave him up, she was also giving them up too. After these last few months, she had definitely missed them all, including Finn and his crazy antics.

But could she really throw herself back into that world again? Even if Logan wasn't going to be there tonight, did she really want to put herself in that position?

"Okay." She answered with a hesitant smile on her face. "I'll be there."

"Yay!" Rosemary grinned at her. "We'll have so much fun. I promise. Be ready for 8pm. We'll pick you up."

As she watched them wave and walk away, Rory didn't feel as enthusiastic about the 'having fun' part.

RLRLRLRL

"I feel it in my bones, boys! Tonight is going to be the night that I finally get Rosemary to go home with me!" Finn declared as he returned from the kitchen with more beers for him and his friends. Logan and Colin just rolled their eyes as they accepted their drinks from him.

"I'm sorry I won't be there to see you fall flat on your face for the millionth time." Logan replied and Colin snorted.

"You'll see. That girl cannot resist all of this forever. She wants me. I can see it in her eyes. She'll give in." Finn said determinedly. There was not a doubt in his mind that he would have Rosemary at some point and tonight would be the night.

"Finn, I think what you see in her eyes is annoyance and anger because you won't leave her alone." Colin reasoned and it was Logan's turn to snort with laughter. Finn just made a childish face at them and flopped onto the chair, sulking into his beer.

"It's easy to confuse that with lust." Logan confirmed and they both laughed. Finn just glared at them and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" Logan inquired.

"I was just saying that at least I'm not a chicken like you." Finn spoke loudly, puffing out his chest as he took a swig of his beer.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Have you run into Rory lately?" Finn fixed him with a harsh, knowing stare. Logan shifted uncomfortably in his seat and his jaw clenched at the mention of Rory's name. Colin looked from one of his best friend's to the other and put his head down, paying all of his attention to the fascinating beer bottle in his hand. He knew what was coming and he really didn't want to get involved.

"What does Rory have to do with anything?" Logan could feel his irritation growing. Finn was developing a nasty habit of bringing up his blue-eyed ex-girlfriend whenever he wanted to piss him off. It was getting rather tiresome.

"Well, at least I go after what I want." Logan laughed and shook his head.

"Who said I wanted Rory?"

"You didn't have to say it, Logan. The way you were looking at her last week spoke volumes. You still want her, don't deny it." Finn was one million percent sure that Logan still had a thing for the infamous Gilmore Girl. He would bet his life's supply of Playboy's on it.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Finn." Logan rolled his eyes and downed some of his bottle of beer.

"Of course not. Just you keep living in denial."

"Hey, who wants to watch some football?" Colin interjected as the tense silence filled the room. Logan and Finn were glaring at each other in some kind of standoff.

"Why the hell would I want to be with someone who used me and then broke up with me after she got what she wanted?"

Finn sighed and ran his hand through his unruly dark hair. "You know, you are just like your father. Everything is always so black and white. Have you ever stopped to wonder why she did what she did? Maybe she had her reasons."

"Yeah I know she had her reasons, Finn. That's the point." Logan was struggling to maintain control of his temper. Comparing him to his father was a low blow, even for Finn.

Finn sighed in frustration. Logan jumped in before he could say anything else.

"Why are you so quick to stand up for her? I mean, why do you even care?"

"I like her. I liked you when you were with her. And in the time I got to know her, I just think there's more to the story than meets the eye." Finn explained. He hadn't hung out with Rory extensively during her dalliance with Logan but the one thing that he had learned about her was that she was unlike any other girl who had caught Logan's eye. She was funny and intelligent. She had a quick wit and seemed completely genuine. He didn't think for one second that she could be remotely capable of hurting someone so callously off her own back. There had to be more to it.

"Yeah, well…I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Finn. But Rory and I are over. So, get used to it. I have."

Finn didn't say anything after that. He just watched carefully as Logan went about getting ready for his family dinner. Logan could protest as much as he wanted, but Finn knew better. He could quite clearly see how much his friend had been affected. He wasn't as dumb as people perceived him to be. In fact, he saw a lot more than most people. That's why he was so certain there had to be more to Rory's story and he would find out. When something struck his fancy, he could be pretty ruthless in pursuing it. Just ask Rosemary. He would figure out the truth. It just didn't make sense. Why would Rory go out of her way to use Logan to get to his father and then a few months later drop out of Yale, giving up all of her dreams in the process?

He would figure it out, or he'd die trying.

"Who wants another beer?"

RLRLRLRLRL

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rory asked as she followed Rosemary and Juliet through the crowd as they tried to find the others. She had to raise her voice over the deafening noise of the music.

"Of course!" Rosemary yelled back. Rory meandered through the packed club with a knot forming in her stomach. She was feeling a whole mixture of emotions as she was about to come face to face with her past.

"Everyone's okay with me being here tonight?" She asked warily. She didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

"Rory? Will you just stop worrying and have fun. Everyone is totally cool. And if they're not, then tough." Rosemary tugged on Rory's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on."

They brushed passed the throngs of people until they reached their destination. Rory felt the knot growing in her stomach as she stood before them; Logan's best friends. He was nowhere in sight, but going by the look on Colin's face, her presence wasn't exactly welcome universally.

"Look who I brought!" Rosemary smiled and plonked herself down on the empty chair next to Juliet. Rory stood awkwardly as the rest of the group studied her warily. Colin kept his eyes averted from hers and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He definitely wasn't happy to see her there. Next to him was Robert. He raised his eyebrows at her and gave her a slightly lascivious grin making her skin crawl. Next to Robert were two other familiar guys whose names she couldn't remember. They glanced at her briefly and then went back to conversing amongst themselves.

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the chair beside Rosemary, who was still smiling at her. On her other side was Colin. As she settled in, she was sure she could feel his eyes boring into her from time to time.

"So, whose round is it?" Juliet piped up and immediately Colin pushed out his chair.

"I'll get them in." Before Rory could look up, he was gone and heading to the bar.

She rest her hands in her lap and focused most of her attention on her fingers as Rosemary and Juliet started arguing playfully with the two at the other end of the table. Their names were Sean and Derek. They were fellow LDB members. She remembered them now from the event Logan had taken her to all those months ago.

Rory listened to the conversation going on around her, but still kept her eyes on her lap. She suddenly felt a presence beside her. Glancing slowly up, she met a pair of dark eyes. Robert had moved into Colin's chair and was sitting dangerously close to her now, with a smirk on his face.

"You're looking as stunning as ever tonight, Rory." He said in a loud enough voice that only she could hear him.

"Thanks." She smiled softly at him but returned her attention to her surroundings. hoping that Robert would get the message. He was sitting way to close to her; she could feel his breath on her face every time he spoke.

"I haven't seen you around for a while. It's a shame."

Just as Rory was about to respond to him, she heard a loud Australian accent booming above the music. She twisted round to see Finn coming towards their table, with his arms outstretched and his eyes on her.

"Rory!" Instinctively, Rory stood up and Finn engulfed her in a big bear hug. "You look absolutely ravishing, love."

"Hey Finn." She giggled at his over enthusiasm as he swatted Robert on the head and told him to move over. He sat down next to Rory and suddenly she didn't feel so unwelcome anymore.

"So, what have I missed?"

RLRLRLRL

He was livid. He sat silently seething at the dinner table, his jaw clenched, his brow furrowed and he was quite sure that if it were at all possible, then steam would be coming out of his ears. For the past hour, he had been quietly trying to subdue the anger that was bubbling away inside of him. But every time he chanced a look at the girl sitting next to him at the dinner table, and then at the smiling eyes of his mother, he wanted to smash something.

She had set him up. His mother had set him up once again with a girl whom he had absolutely nothing in common with. Not only that, but she was a dead ringer for a certain someone whose name he wouldn't even consider for fear of letting his control slip.

So much for a nice family dinner. His father wasn't even there, neither was Honor. It was a family dinner with someone else's family.

Shira had invited the Hamilton's over to the Huntzberger estate, along with their dreadfully dull daughter Alyssa. He'd had to endure listening to her droning on about something so tedious he couldn't even remember what she had said a mere five minutes later.

He was bored and he was pissed off.

Who did Shira think she was depriving him of a night with his friends so she could play matchmaker?

"Alyssa, why don't you tell Logan about Princeton? It's a wonderful school. Not as good as Yale, but still." Shira said sweetly noticing the non-existent interaction between her son and the woman she deemed worthy of his company.

Alyssa glanced up from staring nervously at her plate. Her blue eyes met Logan's and she smiled shyly. Logan ran his hand through his hair as she explained about life at Princeton. His eyes glazed over as she went into painful detail after painful detail. Logan could feel his soul dying.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Why was he so bothered by how boring she was? Since when did he care about making conversation with a girl? The only conversation he was usually interested in revolved around the words 'your place or mine?'

As Alyssa continued telling him about her room mates Anya and Phoebe, Logan let his eyes trail over her face. She was attractive in a plain sort of way. Her dark hair framed her pale features. She was slim and well proportioned in all the necessary places, but as he stared back at her as she talked, he couldn't help but think how her blue eyes weren't quite as bright as a girl's he used to know.

A vision of Rory's smiling features drifted through his mind. Her big blue eyes had been haunting him for months since their break up. Her smile was burned into his memory. The shape of her nose, her soft, plump lips, and every detail of her beautiful face was permanently etched into his brain. No matter how much he protested the fact, Finn was right, he was in denial. That girl had gotten under his skin and despite everything she had done to him, he couldn't deny the pull he felt for her. There had always been something between them, something strong and uncontrollable drawing him to her.

He would fight it. He was too angry to ever consider going back there again. He would do everything in his power to stay away from that girl. He would learn from his mistakes and letting Rory Gilmore anywhere near his heart had been the biggest mistake of them all.

"She has allergies so we had to get rid of the cat. Not that we were supposed to have pets in the dormitory anyway, but it was sad to see Tabby go."

"Who's Tabby?" Logan snapped out of his daze to hear Alyssa was still rambling. He had no idea what she was talking about. He looked to his mother, who was glaring at him, her eyes full of annoyance.

"Tabby was the cat." Alyssa explained for him.

"Oh." Logan finished his wine and then pushed out his chair. He'd had enough of Alyssa and her Tabby cat. He needed to get out of there and away from his mother before he said something he would regret. Or something she would make him regret.

"Logan? Where are you going?"

"Um, I just remembered that I have a paper due. I haven't even started it, so I should really go do that…now." Shira, Alyssa and her parents were all watching him curiously. Shira was secretly seething just as much as he had been.

"But we haven't even finished dinner yet, Logan." Shira said grinding her teeth. Her eyes were blazing as he rounded the table and came to pass her.

"I'll get something later. I really have to go." He reasoned and then turned back to greet the rest of his mother's guests. He smiled at Alyssa and then nodded to her parents. "It was a pleasure meeting you all. Goodnight."

Before Shira could say another word, he bolted out of the dinning room and quickly made his way to the door. As he waited impatiently for the maid to bring him his coat, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to see his mother's angry face.

"Logan Elias Huntzberger where do you think you are going?" She fumed; her face was turning a shade of crimson. Logan cringed at the use of his full name.

"Like I said, I have a paper to write…"

"On a Friday night?" Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes were staring him down.

"Mom."

"How dare you just walk out like that. We have guests. You just embarrassed me in front of everyone."

Logan rolled his eyes. "There were three people, Mom."

"That is not the point. I wanted you and Alyssa to talk. To get to know each other. She's a lovely girl and she would be perfect for you…"

"No. She would be perfect for you. She bored me to tears in there. I'm sorry, but I'm not just going to sit there while you try and marry me off to whomever you deem worthy." He could feel his suppressed anger now dangerously close to the surface.

"Logan, you are my son. It is my duty as your mother to make sure that your future is secure. Alyssa would make a wonderful wife. "

"Are you even listening to yourself?" He was exasperated now. "I'm not going to marry Alyssa Hamilton or any other drone you throw on me. I'm 23 years old. I can make my own decisions. I will choose who I want to be with and who I want to marry. If I want to get married that is and you will have absolutely no say in the matter." His voice was getting louder now but he didn't care.

"Logan, if I left it up to you to decide I'd be ninety by the time I have any grandchildren and you'd be married to that terrible Gilmore girl."

Logan's eyes widened at the mention of Rory. He felt his anger explode. "Well at least it would be my choice!"

With that, he grabbed his coat from the maid and stalked out of the house, banging the door closed behind him. He made his way to his car and sat inside, cursing his mother and the world in general. He closed his eyes and let his head fall against the headrest. He inhaled deeply and let out all of his frustrations in a heavy sigh.

Deciding that he needed to get out of there quickly before his mother tried to set him up with someone else, he started up the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

He drove in silence for a few moments until he got tired of listening to his own irritated thoughts. So he reached down for a CD and popped it into the player, not noticing which one he had. It wasn't until the first song came on that he realised which CD it was.

He stared off into the oncoming headlights as the melodic sounds of PJ Harvey filled his car. Rory had burned the CD for him months ago. He had completely forgotten all about it.

**A/N: **_This chapter was supposed to be longer but I cut it into two. I hope you liked it and thanks for continuing to read my stuff. Its been a while now since the show ended and it still amazes me how popular this couple still are. I know I love them and I'm glad that you do to. Keep the Sophies love alive! Thanks. Please review and let me know what you're thinking. Unlike Edward Cullen, I can't read minds. LOL. _


	6. Chapter 6: Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

**AN: **It took me a while to get this chapter finished. I had to rewrite some of it as I'm a bit OCD. But I'm happy with where it's going and I really hope you guys are still interested. I know you all want Logan and Rory to get together straight away but these things take time and I hope you stay with me in the meantime. Don't forget to leave a review once your finished reading this chapter. I always love to hear what you're thinking. But if not, thanks for reading and until next time…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gilmore Girls. Sadly.

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter Six: Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

Loyalty is a quality that anyone would look for in their friends. The very definition precludes to being faithful to a specific subject, be that person, land or country. As Logan stood in the crowd watching his friends talking animatedly with the person he despised the most, he started to question whether loyalty was something people only talked about. Because apparently his friends didn't see it as an important part of friendship.

People danced around about him as the music rose to a crescendo. He was completely surrounded by people but he had never felt more isolated. What was it about this girl? Why couldn't she just stay out of his life? She was the one who broke up with him. He hadn't seen hide nor tail of her for the last few months and now suddenly she was everywhere he went. She was hanging out with _his_ friends. Drinking in _his_ hangouts. After a long night of having to deal with his mother and her attempts to set him up, all he wanted to do was hang out with his friends and get wasted. He didn't want to have to deal with his ex-girlfriend. He didn't want to have to deal with all of the baggage that came along with that. But it seemed like he had no choice on the matter.

"Logan!" he heard someone call his name from the other direction. Tearing his gaze away from the infamous brunette, he glanced over towards the bar to see Colin waving him over. He had a guilty expression on his face as soon as he saw the scowl form on Logan's. He held his hands up in defence as Logan joined him at the bar.

"I didn't know she was going to be here. It was Rosemary's idea," he admitted, making sure Logan knew he was free of any blame. The last thing he wanted was to get into an argument with Logan. He just wanted a quiet life with no drama.

Logan furrowed his brows as his eyes were drawn back to the table. He watched as Rory laughed at whatever stupid thing Finn had said. They all looked so cosy, he felt sick. He felt betrayed.

"What the hell are they playing at?" His annoyance was more than evident. If this was part of some misguided plan to reunite him with Rory, they were wide off the mark. He wasn't interested in her any more. Sure he still felt a slight pang, but it was nothing that he would act on. They were ancient history.

Colin just shrugged his shoulders as the bartender finished pouring his drinks. He arranged them on the tray and brushed passed Logan on his way back to the table. Logan followed, his eyes lingering reluctantly on the brunette.

"Logan!" Finn called out as soon as he spotted him. Logan just glowered at his Australian friend and planted himself on a chair at the opposite end of the table. He made sure he was seated as far away from Rory as possible. He didn't even glance in her direction, which made conversing with Finn all the harder considering he was sitting beside her. However, that was fine with Logan. He didn't really want to talk to Finn right now.

Colin dished out the drinks and then sat next to Logan, trying not to make eye contact with Rory. He felt guilty even just looking in her direction. It was clear to everyone, including Rory, that Logan wasn't happy with her being around. Rosemary just rolled her eyes and made a point of turning her back on Logan to talk to Rory. Juliet sucked on her straw, dancing to the music as she sat mindless to the tension brewing. The rest of the table's inhabitants felt the growing discomfort and tried to ignore it, but it was pretty hard. Logan's brown eyes were burning a hole through Rory, every time he took a sip of his scotch; he would violently bang the glass back down on the table, causing Rory to jump where she sat.

Finn and Rosemary were doing everything in their power to ignore Logan and take Rory's mind off him, but it wasn't working. She would listen as Finn animatedly told her of one of his many misdemeanours, and would laugh at all the appropriate parts, but she was always hyper aware of the angry blonde at the other end of the table. Her eyes were helplessly drawn in his direction too. She felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. She could almost see the hatred emanating off of him. If it hadn't been for Rosemary practically holding her down, she would have run away instantly.

"So, I informed the nice policeman that I do have a licence just not in this country. Apparently, that isn't good enough. So he arrested me. I had to call those two to come rescue me." Finn nodded over to Logan and Colin who weren't speaking at all. Rory hesitantly followed his gaze; she was scared to even look in Logan's direction. When she did, her eyes met Logan's and he held her gaze with a scowl.

"What are friends for?" Logan spoke with a sarcastic tone to his voice. He and Finn exchanged a look and then his smouldering gaze returned to her. Rory bit her lip as she shifted uncomfortably on her chair.

"Well, anyway. My father's lawyers are fairly competent at their jobs, and I didn't have to pay any fines." Finn shrugged. Rosemary sniggered.

"They should be more than competent by now. They've had plenty of practice with you as a client," she remarked and Juliet giggled beside her. Rory even managed a smile before she felt Logan's eyes on her once again. She felt like she was a mouse trapped in a cage and that with one sudden move he would jump across the table and rip her head off. It was becoming slightly ridiculous now. It had been months since they broke up. Surely he couldn't still hate her?

She sighed, going by his behaviour; he could and definitely did still hate her. Apparently, Logan Huntzberger could bare a grudge like no one else. She sipped on her drink and then placed it back on the table before stealing one more quick glance in his direction. He wasn't looking at her this time. He was engaged in a debate with the other guys at the table. She was thankful to finally have his focus somewhere else.

She turned back to Rosemary and smiled, "I'm just going to go the ladies."

"Want me to come?" she offered cheerily. Rory's smile grew.

"No that's okay. I think I can manage by myself. I'm a big girl." Rosemary studied her closely and then shot Logan a look that no man would want to be on the end of.

"Okay," she said reluctantly but with a smile.

"Hurry back, love." Finn said as she stood up. The sound of his voice and her movement caught Logan's attention and he glared at her.

"Leaving so soon?"

Rory didn't answer. She noticed the slightly satisfied smirk on his face as he sat back against his chair.

"I'll be back," she replied deciding to give as good as she got. She held his gaze for another few seconds before turning away and heading to the restrooms. She could feel Logan's eyes on her. In fact, she could feel the whole table's eyes on her, but she tried not to focus on it. She wasn't going to let him get to her. He didn't know the whole story. She wasn't the one to blame.

She had to keep reminding herself of that.

RLRLRLRLRL

Having spent fifteen minutes waiting in line for the ladies and then another fifteen battling against umpteen others for a small portion of mirror space, Rory made her way back out into the club. The place was jam-packed and as she stood watching the antics of the others at the table across the room, paying particularly close attention to a certain blonde, she suddenly felt very thirsty.

Tearing her gaze away from Logan, she squeezed her way through the crowds ending up at the bar where she stood for another fifteen minutes before she managed to get served. People jostled by her, but they didn't interrupt her thoughts. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering. High on the list of topics that was causing her consternation was Logan's cold behaviour towards her. She knew they weren't exactly on the best of terms but he could at least have tried to remain civil. Instead of going out of his way to make her feel as unwelcome as possible.

She started to feel slightly aggrieved by his behaviour. Yes, she hadn't handled things between them in the best way, but there were major factors in that. It had been over six months now since they broke up, surely she hadn't dented his ego so much that he was still bitter about being dumped. She wasn't even going to consider that perhaps his feelings ran deeper. She wasn't going to go there. Seeing him again had thrown her through a loop. He was still the Logan she had fallen for and despite time having passed, she still felt a pang whenever he was around. She couldn't bring herself to consider the possibility that he might feel it too.

"So, what the hell are you doing here?" she heard a deep voice speak from behind her. She spun around and gasped as she found herself face to face with Logan. His brown eyes had darkened. They were filled with fury and his aggressive body language made her feel intimidated by him.

"Getting a drink?" Her voice sounded so weak she had to clear her throat as she couldn't focus on anything but his harsh, penetrating eyes.

"Why are you all of a sudden everywhere I go? You're not stalking me are you?" His gaze flickered from her to the bar tender as he gestured for another refill. Rory shifted awkwardly. She could feel annoyance that he would assume she was here because of him. When in fact, she'd had no choice. She would have much preferred to stay home with a good book, but Rosemary was insistent.

"Don't flatter yourself," she spat back meeting the full intensity of his heated gaze full on, "Rosemary invited me. I couldn't say no. I didn't know you were going to be here."

Logan didn't respond. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at her directly. Rory matched his stare but neither spoke. It was like they were part of some kind of bizarre staring competition and neither were willing to back down.

"Rory?" a familiar voice drifted through the crowd drawing her attention away from Logan. She glanced over his shoulder to see Vanessa coming towards them. Rory smiled and turned to greet her, ignoring the glowering blonde beside her. Logan stood at the bar watching the two friends.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked as Vanessa hugged her. She looked as awesome as she always did. She could wear a potato sack and still look amazing.

"I'm celebrating my engagement," she told her enthusiastically, clearly a little tipsy already.

"Is Patrick here?"

"Oh no. It's just me and some of the girls. I tried to call you, but your grandmother said you were already out," she explained and gestured to the bartender for a refill.

"Yeah. I'm just here with some old friends from Yale. We're just catching up." Rory pointed over towards the group who were being entertained by Finn once again. Vanessa followed her gaze and giggled.

"Why don't you join us?" Rory turned to eye Logan suspiciously as he spoke. He was leaning nonchalantly against the bar staring at Vanessa appreciatively. Vanessa grinned at him as she gave him the once over, admiring his handsome features. "And you would be?"

Logan smirked and peeled himself off the bar, offering his hand to Rory's new friend. "Logan Huntzberger, pleasure to meet you."

Rory shuddered as she recognised the seductive tone in his voice. His eyes were fixed on Vanessa, completely ignoring Rory's presence. Vanessa giggled and took a step towards him. "It's nice to finally meet the legendary Logan Huntzberger,"

"Legendary?" Logan asked amused that she already knew who he was. He wasn't surprised. Most people had heard of his exploits. Rory rolled her eyes as Vanessa nodded coyly.

"So, how do you two know each other?" he asked, remembering that Rory was still standing beside them.

"We met at some DAR function. We'd run out of cream cheese and Rory totally saved the day." Vanessa explained drawing Logan to acknowledge Rory beside them. He smirked at her.

"Wow, I can see Rory's talents are being put to good use." His tone was dripping with sarcasm as he met her gaze. Rory flushed with embarrassment and he turned his focus back to Vanessa. "We've been friends ever since."

"Well, any friend of Rory's is a friend of mine." He placed his arm around Vanessa's shoulder and she grinned up at him, enjoying his closeness. Rory watched on, feeling more nauseous by the second. "Why don't you come sit with me?"

"I'd love to," she fluttered her eye lashes at him. It was pretty clear that her fiancé had been completely forgotten about. "If that's alright with Rory."

Rory suddenly felt the weight of both their full attention on her and she didn't like it one bit. Logan's smirk widened and he flung his arm over her shoulder, catching her off guard.

"Oh Rory doesn't mind, do you Ace?" Her eyes widened in surprise by his use of her old nickname. She hadn't heard that name for so long and she didn't miss the little flutter her heart made at hearing the term of endearment. She managed to look up at Logan as he squeezed her shoulder and continued grinning admiringly at Vanessa. She felt awkward at having him so close to her. Her skin was on fire as he touched her and she felt her stomach dip at the contact. But at the same time, she felt angry at him for clearly just using her.

"Not at all," she bit out and smiled grudgingly at Vanessa. Logan gave her one last squeeze and then dropped his arm from her shoulders. He reached for Vanessa's hand and led her back to the table, completely ignoring Rory. Vanessa went along with him, excited that she was in the company of the legendary Logan Huntzberger. Rory stared suspiciously after them. Logan was clearly trying to make her jealous.

As they reached the table, Finn looked up and greeted Rory with a warm smile. He stood up and pulled her into a big bear hug, almost squeezing the life out of her.

"Rory! You came back!" he said loudly capturing everyone's attention. Logan and Vanessa sat down at the opposite end of the table, completely engrossed with one another. "I was going to send out a search party, love."

"Sorry, I…bumped into a friend and…" her gaze fell on Logan and Vanessa as he whispered something into her ear. Finn studied Rory for a second before following her wistful gaze. He narrowed his eyes and frowned instantly as he saw some dark haired girl giggling under Logan's rather over friendly attentions. He felt angry at his childhood friend. He was clearly just trying to get a reaction from Rory. He knew exactly how he operated. His eyes were drawn back to Rory as he heard her sigh dejectedly. He smiled sadly at her, seeing firsthand that Logan's ploy was working. He had to admit, he was slightly surprised by her reaction. Being the one who had broken up with Logan, she really had no reason to be upset, especially considering how things had turned out. But seeing her miserable, heartbroken expression just made him all the more certain that something else was going on. Rory was clearly still hung up on Logan, if her jealous reaction was anything to go by. He moved his chair closer to her and slung his arm over her shoulders giving her a comforting squeeze.

"Don't let him get to you, Love!" he yelled over the loud music. Rory met his gaze and offered him a small smile.

"Easier said than done," she replied and Finn gave her another squeeze. He drew his eyes away from Rory to find Rosemary dancing provocatively with someone who definitely wasn't him. She was pressed up against some guy moving seductively to the music. Finn felt an overwhelming surge of jealousy and disappointment as he watched her. He suddenly found that he could relate to Rory. He understood exactly how she was feeling. And he didn't know about her but he had no desire to sit and watch the object of his affections getting intimate with another guy. He narrowed his eyes at Rosemary 'getting her freak on' on the dance floor and then sneaked a look at Logan and his mystery woman. Likewise, they were getting very friendly at the other end of the table. Logan had his hands all over her while she whispered in his ear.

"What do you say we get out of here?" he leaned towards Rory and whispered in her ear. She looked up at him curiously. He stared back. "I don't know about you, but I'm not a glutton for punishment."

Finn pointed towards the dance floor where Rosemary was now attached to her dance partner via the mouth. He had to fight the urge to go over there and pull her off him and then pummel the guy for daring to touch _his_ Rosemary. However, the truth was, Rosemary had never been his. He was just deluding himself into thinking otherwise.

Rory followed his gaze and felt nothing but sympathy for Finn. For as long as she had known Finn, he had been chasing Rosemary relentlessly. And while he had never been lacking in the female department, she could sense that his feelings for this particular redhead ran deeper than he let on.

She sighed and finished her drink. She sneaked one last painful glance at Logan and Vanessa, who now had her tongue in his ear. Patrick was well and truly forgotten about.

"Let's get out of here."

Finn nodded and grabbed his coat and hers, helping her into it. He waved goodbye to the others as Rory informed Juliet of her readiness to leave. Juliet hugged her and then returned to her conversation with the cute boy beside her. Finn smiled at Rory and held out his arm for her to take.

"Ready?" He asked eyes wide and a bright smile on his face. Rory couldn't help but smile back at him. He was such a character, always so full of life. It was infectious sometimes.

"Ready." She nodded and resisted the urge to take one last look at the people she was leaving behind. She didn't see Logan's disapproving glare as he watched her leave with Finn.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

"Ssh!" she held her finger up to her mouth indicating for Finn to be quiet as they made their way to the pool house. So far without waking up her Grandparents. Finn, however, was feeling the effects of his alcohol intake mixed with some fresh air and was very interested in yammering on, loudly.

"Did you just shush me?" Finn asked as she sent him her patented withering glare.

"Yes. My Grandparents are sleeping. I really don't want to deal with them right now," she whispered loudly. "So keep your voice down!"

Finn hunched his shoulders and placed his finger over his mouth copying Rory from before. He had a childish smile on his face as they manoeuvred their way past the pool.

"Have you ever gone skinny dipping in there?" he enquired gesturing to the peaceful water. Rory shot him a look that had him quivering and he forced his finger back over his mouth. He followed her quietly as they eventually came to the door of the pool house. He stood with his hands in his pockets waiting for her as she searched her bag for her keys.

"You really like him, don't you?" he said after studying her quietly for a few moments. Rory's blue eyes fixed on him and she pondered his question briefly before shrugging. She returned her attention to the door and finally managed to unlock it. She pushed open the door and Finn followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

"Well?" He wasn't going to let it drop. Rory tugged off her coat and kicked off her shoes.

"Well what?"

"You still like him but you were the one to break it off. It doesn't really make any sense," he explained as Rory padded through to the kitchenette to make them both some coffee.

"It's clear that you weren't just using him when you were together. I saw the way you reacted tonight when that girl was all over him. If you really wanted him for his connections, you wouldn't have cared whose tongue was in his ear."

"I never used him," Rory admitted insistently. She was tired of that accusation being thrown at her. Did people really think she was that good of an actress? Her feelings for Logan had always been real. Too real. That's why it hurt so much.

"So, why did you break up with him?" Finn quizzed her as he slumped down on the couch.

"I didn't have a choice," Rory replied and he craned his neck around to look at her with curiosity in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He sat up and twisted around so he was facing her. Rory poured herself some coffee and took a sip before answering his question. She flirted with the possibility of telling him the truth, that it was Shira who forced her hand. But she knew that Finn was the wrong person to tell as word would get back to Logan and after tonight, she just wanted to forget all about him and their entire relationship.

"Sometimes," she sighed and picked up the other mug of coffee, bringing it with her as she sat down beside Finn, "…some things just aren't meant to be."

She handed him the mug and then let her head fall on Finn's shoulder. He took the mug and let her words roll around in his head. What did she mean by 'she didn't have a choice'? Why didn't she have a choice? What exactly was she hiding?

"Rory?" he asked, wanting to find the answers to his questions tonight.

"Hmm," she responded sleepily. Her eyes were closed and she could feel the events of the day catching up with her. She let out a yawn and Finn gazed down at her with a frown on his face. His questions would have to wait. She was exhausted and he felt that after the night she'd had to endure he would let her off the hook. For now at least.


	7. Chapter 7: Burnt Fingers

**AN:** Hi, just a quick note to say that I'm not dead, I've just been really busy and unable to find time to write. Hence the lack of updates. However, all of my stories have still been plaguing my mind and pleading to be finished. And I will try my hardest to achieve that feat. If I still have any readers left out there, this one's for you. I hope you enjoy it and keep your eyes peeled in the future.

**Disclaimer: **I own this story but not Gilmore Girls.

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter Seven: Burnt Fingers

Rory had never really been a light sleeper, but the faint sound of someone snoring close by broke through her peaceful slumber. As she slowly drifted in an out of consciousness, her mind adjusted to her surroundings. She felt warmth emanating from an unknown source. She breathed in an unfamiliar scent and when she felt movement around her as well as something squeezing her butt, her eyes popped open and she was greeted by the sight of Finn with his arms wrapped around her, his face merely inches away and his hand copping a feel of her butt. Her immediate reaction was to push him away and so she did. However, she underestimated her own strength and when she gave him a shove, his whole lanky frame slid off the couch beside her and onto the floor with a thump.

"Finn!" she yelled as he sat up, scanning his surroundings in a sleepy daze. He looked pretty disoriented and Rory was trying hard not to throw something at him in her annoyance at his unconscious effort to cop a feel.

"What happened? How'd I end up down here?" he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and ran a hand through his dark messy hair. Rory sat up straight and threw a cushion at his head as her irritation overwhelmed her.

"Your hands were on my butt, Finn," she informed him in a not too happy manner. Finn furrowed his brows trying to understand what she was talking about. All he remembered was a very pleasant dream in which some mystery dream girl had a very firm…

"Do you work out?" he enquired curiously. Rory rolled her eyes, growled at him and hit him again over the head with another cushion. She jumped up from the couch and stomped over towards the kitchen to make herself some coffee. She really needed some caffeine in her system.

Finn, meanwhile, replaced the cushions on the couch and picked himself up off the floor. He followed Rory through to the kitchen in hope that she would take pity on him and offer him some coffee. He gave her the puppy dog eyes that no woman had ever been able to resist. Rory just glowered at him and then slid a mug over to him. Finn grinned mischievously; victorious again.

"You can pour your own," she grunted and Finn happily obliged, topping up her own mug in the process, trying to score some brownie points. He was learning that Rory Gilmore definitely wasn't a morning person.

"Do you treat all of your gentlemen callers with such dazzling charm? I really have no idea how anyone could resist such a sparkling personality as yours."

"I just woke up to find you groping me on the couch. Forgive me if I'm not Little Miss Sunshine!" she said dryly and Finn just shrugged. Rory finished her coffee, washed out her mug and returned back to the living area. Finn's eyes were glued to her derriere as she went.

"Do you do Yoga?" he wondered out loud, genuinely curious as to how she got such a perfect butt. Rory turned back and caught him admiring her assets.

"Stop staring at my butt, Finn!" she seethed with anger. He was really starting to get on her bad side.

"Sorry." He put his hands up and refrained from looking directly at her perfectly petite rear.

Rory shook her head and slumped down onto the couch. She grabbed her purse from the floor and pulled out her cell phone. She saw that she had a voicemail and went about listening to the message, while ignoring Finn as he bumped around in her kitchen.

The message was from Vanessa. She sounded slightly drunk so she knew it must have been from the night before. She had left her in Logan's capable hands. She really didn't see the need to torture herself by watching them fawn all over each other. It definitely wasn't her idea of a fun night out. She was grateful for Finn's rescue. She was so grateful; she could probably almost overlook his early morning indiscretion.

"Do you have any pop tarts, love?" Finn asked breaking through her reverie.

"Cupboard on the left," she informed him and then went about listening to her message.

"_Hey Gilmore! Where did you disappear to? You were just here and now…hang on, I'll be right there…so Rory we should do something soon. We need to catch up. How about breakfast tomorrow? Not too early though. I have a feeling tonight is going to be a long night." _

With a suggestive laugh, the message ended and Rory felt her stomach roll. She really didn't want to know who she was talking to or how long last night actually turned out to be. She had a pretty good imagination and that was bad enough. It wasn't Vanessa's fault. She didn't know that Rory and Logan had a history. She had never mentioned it. In fact, they weren't good enough friends for her to want to go into all the painful, complicated details about her past love life. Vanessa's only fault, and it was a big enough fault on its own, was the fact that she had just spent half the day gushing about her upcoming nuptials and then proceeded to flirt and canoodle and god knows what else with another man.

Rory shook her head trying to shake the visual of Vanessa and Logan together from her mind. She had never been a masochist and had no desire to start now.

Looking at her watch, she noted that it was only 8 o'clock in the morning. In Vanessa's message she had said something about having breakfast. Perhaps she could cipher some details from her regarding her indiscretion with Logan, not that she had any desire to hear the details. She just needed to know that they hadn't slept together. She had no right to feel jealous or territorial over Logan. He was free to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted, but Rory couldn't shake the feeling of nausea at the idea of him sleeping with one of her friends. Even after all this time that was just too close to home.

"Penny for your thoughts, love." Rory snapped out of her trance to see Finn sitting beside her with a concerned expression on his face. Removing the pensive frown from her face, Rory smiled and brushed it off.

"It's nothing. I'm just going to go take a shower," she informed him as pleasantly as possible. Finn quirked an eyebrow and leered at her.

"Want some company?" he smirked and Rory had to fight the urge to smack him on the head.

"If you come anywhere hear that shower while I'm in there, I will castrate you Finn Morgan!" she told him in a very serious tone. Finn's eyes widened in horror at the thought of losing his favourite appendage. He took a big gulp and returned his attention to his coffee mug.

"Say no more," he added and Rory smirked in amusement at having finally wiped the smile off his face. She grabbed her purse and made her way through to the bathroom. Finn's eyes following her the whole way. Once she had disappeared, he grabbed the TV remote and slumped back on the couch. He tried to force his attention onto the images on screen, but he couldn't get the disturbing vision of her smiling maniacally while hacking off Finn junior out of his mind. He would never unconsciously grope her ever again.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

The whole drive over to Vanessa's apartment, Rory's mind was assaulted with a barrage of horrifying images of her friend and her ex-boyfriend together. No matter what she did, the memories from the night before were haunting her and she felt sick to her stomach. She kept telling herself that it was none of her business and that she had no right to be jealous. However her brain wasn't willing to accept that rationale.

It was as if there was a mental block which had caused part of her brain to forget the reasons behind her break-up with Logan. She should've been able to move on and forget about Logan Huntzberger. That had been the plan, but ever since he had walked back into her life, she felt that old twinge.

The fluttering of her heart whenever he was close by was one indicator that told her that even if she did break up with him because of his mother's threats, it didn't stop her from having feelings for him. Those feelings hadn't just disappeared. That was why it was so hard to think of him with Vanessa or anyone else. But it didn't matter now. Logan could barely even look her in the eye. It was pretty clear to her that he didn't return those feelings anymore. He had made that abundantly clear.

As she made her way through the hallway to Vanessa's apartment, she took a deep breath and hesitantly knocked on the door.

She heard some movement and then a few seconds later the door opened and a rather hung over looking Vanessa appeared. Rory let out the breath she had been holding and offered her friend a strained smile.

"Hey," she gestured a wave with her hand and Vanessa returned her smile.

"Wow someone's the early bird this morning," she commented as she opened the door wider and let out a yawn. Rory's eyes did a quick scan of inside her apartment, looking for any sign of a certain blonde haired boy.

"You left a message saying we should meet for breakfast," Rory informed her. Vanessa furrowed her brow as she tried to remember the previous night. Everything was kind of a blur.

"I did?" Rory nodded and Vanessa ran her hand through her messy bed hair.

"I can come back later if you're not-" she broke off as the door to the bathroom opened and Logan walked out. Her heart broke just a little more at that moment. When his eyes met hers, she saw no flicker of remorse or guilt at having spent the night with her friend. She saw nothing. He looked straight through her as he pulled on his leather jacket and tucked in his shirt.

Rory couldn't take her eyes off him. She didn't want to look at him. She wanted to run out of the room and ball her eyes out. But she couldn't not look at him. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like her brain just would not process the information it was receiving. Logan had spent the night with Vanessa.

She heard Vanessa shifting beside her and eventually managed to break her gaze away from Logan. Her dark haired friend gave her a wry smile and had the decency to look slightly remorseful. Although she wasn't aware of just how remorseful she should be.

"I'm gonna go," Logan said as he approached them, his gaze still not meeting Rory's. As he brushed passed her on his way out, Rory felt as if she had been punched in the chest.

"Okay, I'll see you around."

Rory's gaze fell to the floor as Vanessa waved goodbye to her conquest. She felt sick to her stomach and wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She heard the elevator doors open and just lifted her head up and dared to look in his direction for a brief instant. When she did, Logan's dark eyes were fixed on hers. There was so much intensity and what she thought was hatred in his stare that she had to fight back the lump that was forming in her throat. He held her gaze until the elevator doors finally closed and Rory could breathe again.

She looked up at Vanessa, who just shrugged, turned her back and walked into her apartment. Rory followed behind. She remained silent. In truth she was kind of speechless. She didn't know how to react to the situation. On one hand she was furious, on the other she was broken hearted. She had to remind herself that she had no right to be mad. She had made her bed, now she had to lay in it.

"You're not going to say anything are you?" Vanessa's voice brought her out of her painful reverie.

"What?"

"To Patrick. You're not going to say anything? Are you?"

Rory took a few seconds to get herself together. She was afraid that she would either break down or start yelling at her. She needed to be calm and composed. She couldn't show the depth of her despair. It wasn't fair.

"I thought you loved Patrick?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I do. Of course I do but…"

"But you spent the night with another man," she finished for her. She couldn't get her head around the fact that Vanessa had been so excited about getting married and could then jump into bed with a stranger.

"Look, Rory it's not that big of a deal. These things happen," Vanessa explained trying to brush off the significance of her actions. Rory couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What?" her eyes widened in shock at her blasé attitude. Vanessa sat down on the couch and sipped on a cup of coffee.

"Oh come on, do you think Patrick is an angel?" Rory frowned; she knew Patrick wasn't an angel. She had first hand experience. After their first meeting he had tried it on with her saying that Vanessa never had to know. Apparently that wasn't the first time and Vanessa definitely knew.

"So then why are you marrying him?"

"Because I love him," she said casually. Rory was confused. How could she claim to love someone but sleep with someone else?

"Rory love isn't all candy and flowers. Patrick isn't perfect, but neither am I. And in the world that we live in, it's just expected. He's not the great love of my life and I kind of suspect the same for him. But our families are two of the most powerful families in the country and well…"

"So you're just marrying him because of…" she searched her brain for the right word, "…convenience. And you're happy with that?"

"Sure," she shrugged and finished her coffee.

"Patrick has his indiscretions and I have mine. As long as neither of us know about it, everything is fine," she explained and Rory felt sick.

"That's twisted. How can you…?"

"Don't judge me Rory. We didn't all grow up in happy bubble land like you. This is the real world. I'm sorry we can't all be as perfect as you are,"

Rory didn't know what to say. She stared at Vanessa and realised that she really had no idea who the black haired girl really was. They had formed an easy friendship but it wasn't strong like her bond with Lane or even Paris. Vanessa was the kind of friend who would stab you in the back or sleep with your ex-boyfriend without even giving you a second thought. And in that moment, Rory realised that she didn't need a friend like that in her life. She had been so cut off from her old life that she had been willing to settle for even the slightest glimmer of kindness and understanding. But she would rather be on her own than be a part of Vanessa's cruel world.

"I think I should go," she spoke quietly. Vanessa rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the TV.

"Whatever," she brushed her off and ignored her as Rory turned and walked out of the apartment and down the hallway towards the elevator. As she pressed the button and waited for the car to arrive on her floor, her mind replayed the image of Logan's hateful glare. The doors opened and she stepped inside as she realised the irony of the situation. Logan hated her because he thought she was the kind of person horrible enough to use somebody for their connections, but he had then spent the night with someone who actually was capable of such cold behaviour.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

"Honey, I'm home!" Finn called out as he opened the door to his and Logan's apartment and walked inside. As he approached the main room, he saw Colin and Logan sitting on the couch, their attention focused on the video game they were playing. Colin raised his hand in the air in acknowledgement but Logan didn't even flinch. He just stared straight ahead and ignored his Australian best friend. His cold shoulder didn't bother Finn one bit. After all of the crazy stunts he had been involved in over the years, he was used to being on people's bad side. He just wasn't entirely sure what reason Logan would have to be pissed with him this time.

He plopped himself down on the chair across from his two friends as they yelled at the TV and bantered back and forth. Colin was his usual carefree self, but as Finn studied Logan he could almost see the anger radiate off of him. His shoulders were tensed, his jaw locked and his eyes were black. When he eventually allowed himself to make eye contact with Finn, he knew it was serious. Logan was pissed with a capital P.

"Are you going to yell at me and tell me what's eating you, or are you just going to pout for the rest of the day?" Finn asked in his normal, blunt way. Colin tore his gaze away from the screen and flitted between his two best friends. As soon as he had arrived earlier he could tell that there was something seriously wrong with his friend. It seemed that his black mood from the previous night had carried over and only intensified since then.

Logan glared at Finn and then turned his gaze back to the screen; all of his focus was on trying to remain calm. He didn't respond to his friend. He just remained silent.

"This is about Rory I'm guessing?" Finn continued on while Colin's eyes widened in fear. He really didn't want to be caught in the middle of another argument about Rory Gilmore.

"Finn," he warned but Finn just continued staring down Logan, who had returned his devil gaze to meet his.

"Well, say something…"

"You spent the night with her, didn't you?" Logan cut him off. His tone was so icy cool it unnerved even him.

Finn's eyebrows rose as realisation set in. Logan had seen him leaving the club with Rory the night before. Logan had then been witness to the fact that he had not come home until the next day, obviously putting two and two together.

A mixture of emotions fluttered through his mind. First of all, he was actually hurt that Logan could think that he would even consider breaking the number one rule in the guy code; don't sleep with your best friend's ex. They had known each other for a long time now, surely he trusted him enough to know that he would never even contemplate such a betrayal.

Second of all, he was annoyed at Logan for how screwed up he was. He had spent so much time denying that he had any feelings for Rory and yet he was angry to think that she had slept with someone else. He really had no right to even care who Rory got involved with. He had shown her nothing but contempt since their break up and now he was playing the jealous ex-boyfriend.

Third of all, Finn found the whole thing entirely amusing and the smirk on his face was evidence of that. Logan was so transparent it really was pitiful. For the last few months he had tried in vain to convince everyone that his feelings for Rory were only fleeting and that her breaking up with him the way she did hadn't affected him. Finn hadn't believed him for a second and going by Logan's angry over reaction to the idea that he had spent the night with Rory, he had been entirely vindicated. He took great amusement in that.

He continued to smirk at Logan as a plan formulated in his mind. If Logan was going to bury his head in the sand and live in denial, perhaps it was up to Finn to point out what was staring him in the face. It was his duty as his best friend.

"So what if I did?" Finn shrugged and then pushed himself up from his chair and strode over to the kitchen to get a beer. He could imagine the look on Logan's face.

He peeled off the lid, took a large sip and let out a long sigh. "That girl really has a great arse!"

With that last comment, he spun around and practically ran towards his bedroom. Secretly he was desperate to stick around and see Logan's reaction firsthand. However, he valued his life too much and knew that by letting Logan think that he and Rory had actually had sex, he was playing with fire.


End file.
